


One Scholar Shall Seek to Dispel

by NickelModelTales



Series: Chạ̀wrāynạk [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Archaeology, Brainwashing, Demigods, F/M, Hypnotism, Mercenaries, Nuclear Weapons, Porn With Plot, Quests, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Snakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:48:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NickelModelTales/pseuds/NickelModelTales
Summary: A desperate team of American archeologists and soldiers race against a deadly adversary to retrieve a lost treasure.  Along the journey, they encounter the mythical snake Chạ̀wrāynạk, who hypnotizes his victims with his magical gaze.





	1. I Need You Three to Leave Within the Hour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HobbitLife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobbitLife/gifts).



> A reader requested a “Jungle Book”-inspired story, where a giant snake would hypnotize victims with rainbow-swirly eyes. I loved the idea and drafted an adventure story about a jungle expedition which meets up with just such a creature. That story is “One Scholar Shall Seek to Dispel,” which is this story.  
> However, the backstory explaining the snake came from grew too big and bulky. In the end, I decided to extract it into a separate story, called “One Warrior Shall Rise to Defend Her.”  
> Both stories are two halves of a larger tale. That said, I worked to make each part work as standalone pieces. You can read them in either order. The stories’ chronology places “Warrior” first. But I suspect they are more fun to read in reverse order.  
> (NOTE: I’ve character-tagged this work with Kaa. Just please note that while Kaa inspired this tale, the actual character does not appear.)

**_Chanansk City, Lanamar_ **

**_Southeast Asia_ **

**_2007_ **

The sun was setting over the beach, perhaps allowing only fifteen more minutes of game time.  Things were looking desperate.

Sofia Hapsburg nodded at her colleague Emily, who was serving this round.

“Four-Seven,” Emily announced grimly, although everyone knew the score.  She tossed the volleyball high, then walloped it at full strength.  The ball leapt from her palm toward the net.

But the opposing team was prepared.  The big Lanamari guy with a chest tattoo leapt up, seeking to spike the ball before it even crossed into his territory.  Sofia had to move **_fast_**.

Sure enough, the guy smacked the ball back instantly!  Only by diving face first into the sand did Sofia keep him from scoring.  The ball sailed up from her fists, back towards Wyatt.  Sofia spat and hurried to her feet.

Wyatt and Emily scrambled and managed to lob the ball back across the net.  But their opponents had all the time in the world to organize.  They were ready.  They returned fire and the ball landed in the sand as if fired from a cannon.

Four-eight.

“Damnit…!” Sofia wheezed angrily, fighting to calm her breathing.

Normally the young graduate student loved playing sports, even if she was losing.  Sports thrilled her.  Exercise was a passion.  She ran at least five miles a day.

But today… ugh.  Today, she felt differently.  She’d badly underestimated how ruthlessly competitive the locals could be.  She, Emily, and Wyatt had only been in Lanamar for, what, four months now?  They should have known.  Oh, their three Lanamari opponents had seemed easygoing at first, but it quickly became obvious that they were just **_itching_** to crush the Americans at volleyball.  A humiliating defeat seemed likely.

That was Lanamar, and its people.  Unassuming at first glance.  But then: tough, stubborn, and unyielding.

One of the smaller island nations in Southeast Asia, Lanamar was 150,000 square miles of thick, imposing jungle.  Seven million easygoing (yet highly competitive) people lived in the country.  Most were crammed into Chanansk City, the metropolis clinging to the southernmost tip of the little land mass.  In the larger world economy, Lanamar was practically ignored, as it was far removed from major shipping lanes, had practically no exports, and had few natural resources.  Nor did it hold much strategic military value.

But then a decade back, Chinese archeologists had unearthed a fully intact eleventh century mining community, an **_entire civilization_** in the deep jungle, forgotten by history!  Suddenly archeology in Lanamar was all the rage.  Three different expeditions were scheduled for next year alone.  Why, the great Dr. Richard Fordem himself had rushed to the country, eager to dig up a thirteenth century monastery found up the Pasaktu River.

Which is what brought Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia to Lanamar.  Dr. Fordem hired them as his personal graduate students.

“Eight-four!” the blonde-haired Lanamari woman shouted, then lobbed the ball straight at Sofia.  Luckily, the archeology student was ready.  She easily deflected the ball straight up into the air, setting it up for Emily.

But Wyatt dashed in, making a fool of himself.  He smashed the ball back over the net, but left his side of the court completely undefended.  Chest Tattoo spiked again, easily sinking another point where Wyatt should have been standing.

“Oops,” Wyatt said carelessly.

Sofia glared at her teammate.  Wyatt was an airhead with a chip on his shoulder, essentially a twelve-year-old boy in a twenty-four-old man’s body.  Sofia thought he was a substandard archeologist, too.

Wyatt passed Emily, pausing to playfully swat Emily’s ass and kiss her.  The two were formerly engaged, and while Sofia couldn’t figure out what either saw in the other, they seemed happy together.

Sofia scowled.  She could already see how the evening would unfold.  After getting totally owned at volleyball, she, Wyatt, and Emily would grab a cheap dinner.  Wyatt and Emily would spend half of that meal necking.  As there were no nightclubs in Chanansk City, the three would then retreat to their joint apartment.  The two disgusting lovebirds would have noisy sex in their bedroom while Sofia did her best to get into a Danielle Steele, the only American author available in Lanamari used bookstores.

With Emily and Wyatt forever sucking on one another, Sofia was constantly on her own.  The loneliness was wearing on her.  She would have given a month’s salary for an afternoon with new friend.  Or even just for a decent one-hour conversation.

“Nine-four!” the blonde yelled again.

Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia put up a good coordination this time, but the Lanamari were just too quick and powerful.  Playing against them was becoming an uphill struggle.  Another point was claimed by the opposing team.

Sofia kicked the sand in frustration.  Everything about Lanamar frustrated her.  All the food was too spicy, the popular media too censored, the poverty far too widespread and desperate.  Even for a jungle nation, the climate was far too humid and buggy.  She longed for home.

No.  That wasn’t it.  She longed for **_real work_** , real archeological work.  At first, being hired as Dr. Fordem’s assistant seemed like the ticket to such an exciting life.  She’d pictured herself in the middle of a genuine dig site, carefully extracting priceless historical treasures from the earth.  She’d be deep in the strata by day, then sipping tea and discussing her findings with the professor in the evenings.

But of course, Dr. Fordem had never intended to let lowly graduate students near his precious dig site.  Oh no.  No, no, **_no._**

No, Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia were stationed back on Prachuap University’s campus.  In Mongkol Hall.  In the basement.  There, they would sift through the large amount of material Dr. Fordem and his local diggers had already unearthed, carefully documenting every pot shard, iron tool, clothing scrap, and skull.  It was mind-numbingly boring.

Sofia, at least, was the team’s translator.  Fluent in ancient Lanamari, she dutifully translated every inscription Dr. Fordem photographed.  Translation was at least somewhat interesting.  The only problem was, the ancient Lanamari rarely had many interesting things to say.

Brushing the sand off her legs, Sofia took up position, impatiently waiting for the Amazon-like Lanamari blonde chick to serve.

“Ten-four,” the chick yelled, then swatted the ball.  **_Hard_**.

Emily intercepted, barely keeping the ball in play.  Wyatt leapt forward… but wasn’t fast enough.

Eleven-four.  The other team laughed and high-fived in triumph.

*****

The final score was too humiliating to contemplate.  Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia glumly congratulated their opponents, then limped off the beach.

“They must’ve cheated,” Wyatt grumbled.

“Ah, Poopsie-boo,” Emily chided, using one of her absolutely disgusting nicknames.  “Its just a game, baby.”

“Maybe if Sofia would **_move her ass faster_** ,” said Wyatt resentfully, and he actually smacked Sofia in the tush.

“Hey!” both Emily and Sofia cried in unison.

“Whatevs…” the guy drawled, rolling his eyes.

The three stood in the fading sunlight for a moment, allowing the sweat to dry from their bodies.  Then they pulled their street clothes on over their swimwear, already bickering about where to have dinner.

But Emily paused when she checked her cell phone.  “Guys?” she said, a wary tone in her voice.

“What?” Sofia said, curious.  Cell reception in Lanamar was really bad; it was rare Emily ever got a text or call.

“Its Dr. Fordem,” exclaimed Emily.  “He wants to see us.  Like, now.”

“Come off it,” scoffed Wyatt.  “Now?  Nine ‘o clock at night?  Old Man Fordem can’t stay up past eight-“

“He says **_now_** ,” Emily insisted, and showed the other two the text.

Sofia and Wyatt stared at the phone screen:  **_Come to my office, Mongkol Hall, IMMEDIATELY.  Cannot wait, no delays.  -Fordem_**

Wyatt slapped his forehead.  “Oh shit, I know what this is,” he groused.

“What?” Sofia asked warily.

“The Livin’ Large,” said Wyatt, kicking a pebble.  “I think I put a dent in the side.  A big one.”

“Wyatt!” Sofia said in exasperation.

The least glamorous duty of the three grad students was shuttle duty.  Once a week, they were permitted to leave Mongkol Hall, but only to pilot a small rented boat up the Pasaktu River to the dig site.  Not to actually see the ruins, of course.  Uh-uh.  No, their responsibility was to load up the boat with crates, crates filled with the latest artifacts Dr. Fordem’s diggers had pulled from the earth.  Once loaded up, the three would putt back down the river with the latest booty, all of which they had to lug into Mongkol Hall’s basement for categorization.

It was humiliating.  Here Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia were, future archeologists themselves, and stupid Dr. Fordem had reduced them to a low-budget shipping service.  For crying out loud, Fordem’s locally-hired diggers were getting a better archeological education than they were!

Wyatt had nicknamed their rented boat the Livin’ Large, because, well, the dilapidated little ship was anything but.

If the rental company had complained to Fordem about damage to the boat, well, the professor would bitch for **_hours_** about how strapped their budget was.  No doubt he’d find a way to extract the money from the grad students’ stipends.  Or fire one of them.

 _Fine,_ thought Sofia bitterly.  _I’m ready for a dramatic change of pace, anyway._

*****

The three students squeezed into a subcompact taxi.  Their driver rocketed them across the city at breakneck speed, risking the lives of passengers and pedestrians with equal abandon.  Entirely too quickly, Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia were deposited at Prachuap University’s campus.  The fare was outrageous.  But grateful to be alive at all, the three paid up and then made their way to Mongkol Hall.

The academic building was dark and silent.  The three students rode up the elevator to the third floor, and were not surprised to see light shining out from under Dr. Fordem’s door.

They were, however, surprised to see a young woman in a US Army uniform standing at attention before the door.  She stood with her back perfectly straight, her head high, her boots one foot apart.  Tall, muscular, and beautiful despite her fierce expression, this woman cocked an eyebrow at the three graduate students.

The military woman turned, knocking once.  “Sir?” she called out.  “They’re here.”

“Jesus Christ, Wyatt,” Sofia muttered.  “How big was that dent in the Livin’ Large, again?”

The office door opened, just a crack.  Peering through the frame, Sofia could see the wizened face of Dr. Richard Fordem himself.

“Emily!” Fordem barked.  “Wyatt!  Sofia!  In here, please.”

The military woman stepped aside, one quick, professional motion.

“Well, now?” snapped the professor.  “Inside, then!”

The three grad students hurried into the office suite, shutting the door behind them.

Dr. Fordem grunted in wordless disapproval, moving to his desk.  The great archeologist was a short, squat man, now in his late sixties.  He was almost completely bald, but a thick, bushy beard seemed to suggest that his hair had simply migrated down his head.  The man had an impressive beer belly, and one of the grumpiest, most wrinkled faces Sofia had even seen.  Like most intellectuals she had known, he had atrocious taste in fashion; an 80s-era Hawaiian shirt flapped over his frame, hovering over Bermuda shorts and locally-made moccasins.

“I have good news,” the professor said absently, returning to his desk.  “There’s an opportunity to fund our dig for another three months.”

Sofia looked at Emily and Wyatt in surprise.

“…er, great, professor,” she said.  Money was always tight on any archeological endeavor, but…  But this was why the students were summoned so late at night?

Dr. Fordem’s office was much like the man: oversized, cluttered with too much information, hopelessly disorganized.  Aside from the presidential-sized executive desk, the room was crammed with two work tables and rows of metal storage shelves, all packed with boxes and notebooks.  Enlarged maps of Lanamar and countless photographs of ancient ruins were pinned to the walls.  The office was dark, with only a single reading light on the desk shining down on the clutter.

“Yes, it is great,” agreed Dr. Fordem.  He picked up a notebook from his overflowing pile, thumbing through the pages.

“Ah, yes,” the professor rumbled, and his students could tell he was about to abruptly change the subject.  “Sofia.”

“Professor?”

Dr. Fordem scowled.  “Sofia, I specifically asked for a direct translation of that snake obelisk,” he said sharply.  ”You were sent several photos, no?”

Sofia instantly knew of what the professor spoke.  In the midst of the excavation, the diggers had unearthed a strange stone column, completely black, with carved snakes worked into the frame.  Ancient words had been carefully etched into the northern face.

The column – whatever it was – had been nicknamed “the snake obelisk,” as not even the great Dr. Fordem himself could fathom what purpose this thing might have served.  It was not religious or ceremonial in nature.  It did not bear the usual stone-markings of all the other architecture.  In fact, the thing was older than the rest of the monastery by many centuries.

Sofia’s mouth went dry.  She was about to receive another of Fordem’s tongue-lashings, she just knew it.

“The translation’s on page seventeen, professor,” she promised meekly.

Dr. Fordem frowned, flipping through the notebook.  His eyebrows rose.  “This?” he asked contemptuously.

Sofia nodded.

“ ** _Really,_** ” the old man drawled, dripping sarcasm.  “According to **_you_** , the snake obelisk says…”  And he cleared his throat, reading Sofia’s handwriting aloud:

 

_The snake-queen’s reign shall be ended_

_And across the land that she scars_

_All evils she’s wrought shall be mended_

_When a sword shall fall from the stars_

_One warrior shall rise to defend her_

_One scholar shall seek to dispel_

_The battle between guard and contender_

_Shall save her, or cast her to hell_

 

“I ran it twice,” Sofia interjected, hoping to stave off the oncoming ridicule.

“I see,” sneered Fordem, dropping the notebook onto his desk.  “You’re telling me that the ancient Lanamari were considerate enough to draft a carving that is perfectly rhymed and metered in modern English?”

Sofia wanted to say, _There’s magic in those words._   But she dared not speak.

“Run it again, and don’t bother me with such nonsense,” the professor huffed.

“Come now, Robert,” a gravelly voice said behind Sofia.

The three graduate students jumped.  There was a man standing against the far wall, silently observing.  As Sofia squinted, this fellow stepped forward into the light.

The man was dressed in a US Army uniform, an officer.  Short, wiry, with a sunbeaten face, he was in his mid-fifties, handsome in a rugged sort of way.  His posture was ramrod-straight, which made his chest look broader than it really was.  Cool, ice-blue eyes smiled at the three graduate students.

“Lieutenant Colonel Harrison Forrestal,” the officer said curtly, offering a brief yet crushing handshake to each of the students.

Sofia cradled her wincing hand, studying the military man.  While he wanted to appear calm and in control, the man was agitated; the ends of his mouth twitched downward.  There were bags under his eyes.

Dr. Fordem waved a dismissive hand.  “Come, come, Harry,” he yawned, “these three are just grad students.”

The colonel’s jaw shifted slightly.  “Robert tells me: you three know the Pasaktu River?” he asked.

Sofia glanced at Dr. Fordem, who was already sitting back behind his desk.

“We’ve… sailed it a few times,” she allowed.

“Let me show you something,” Forrestal said, moving to flick on the room lights.  He stood before the large map of Lanamar, his fingers quickly finding Chanansk City.

“We’re here, right?” the colonel said.  “I have an urgent need to send some of my people up this way…”  And his fingers moved to the Pasaktu River, then followed the great river north.  As he continued, the Pasaktu broke up into multiple tributaries.  “We need to go… perhaps as far… as… well, here,” Forrestal said, vaguely indicating a river-infested section of jungle, high up on the map.

“Jesus,” Wyatt mumbled.

Sofia couldn’t help but ask, “What… is this about, colonel?”

The colonel frowned.  “Now, Robert tells me you three regularly travel at least as far as… here?”  He tapped the monastery dig site.

Emily shrugged.  “Yeah.”

“But no further?” probed Forrestal.

Emily looked uncomfortable.  “There’s nothing upriver.  Nothing but jungle.”

Forrestal rubbed the back of his neck, making a decision.

“Well, Harry?” Dr. Fordem asked from his desk.  The old professor was intent on the papers on his desk.

Colonel Forrestal nodded, once.  “I’ll take one of them.  Which has the most river time?”

“One of them?” balked the professor.  “Harry, take all three students.  You’ll need the extra set of eyes.  Besides, they can carry the heavy equipment.”

“Professor!” exclaimed Emily.

“Fine, all three,” the colonel agreed.  “But only for the same price, Robert.”

“What is going on?!?” Sofia demanded, almost stamping her foot.

“I need river guides,” the colonel said cautiously.  “People who have been up the Pasaktu a number of times.  And… for various purposes… those people **_have_** to be American citizens.”

Sofia felt a chill.  Her older brothers were in the military.  She knew enough that if the US Army wanted to only work with American citizens, then there was a national security issue at stake.

“So call the Army,” she retorted.  “Get them to send in some properly trained specialists-“

“I can’t,” Forrestal said.  “This is **_urgent_**.  I need you three to leave within the hour.”

The archeology student opened her mouth to protest.

“I’m sorry,” Forrestal cut her off.  “You can’t ask any more questions.”

“I’m so not going,” Sofia informed him.

Dr. Fordem harrumphed, rising from his desk.  “Oh, come, Sofia,” he chided.  “Robert here is only borrowing you for three days.  That’s three days of a river journey where all you have to do is sit on a boat and tell him where the currents will get hard to handle.”

“That’s right,” Forrestal seconded quickly.

“You three can hang out, goof off, take pictures of the river…  Why, I’m practically giving you a vacation!” the professor promised.  “Don’t worry, your work will be waiting for you when you get back.”

Sofia crossed her arms.  “This is nuts,” she argued.  “We’re not qualified-“

“You’re the best options I’ve got,” Forrestal snapped.  His voice softened.  “My people have never been in Lanamar.  I can’t send them blind up the Pasaktu.  You can help them.”

“Sorry,” Sofia replied plainly.  “I’m just not-“

“Miss Hapsburg,” Dr. Fordem interrupted, rising from his desk, “you are aware that your stipend allows me for certain liberties with your duties?”

Sofia glowered inside.  Fordem wasn’t taking no for an answer.  Now she knew where he was getting that extra three months of funding.

*****

Colonel Forrestal gave Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia half an hour to pack.  The young woman at the door was introduced as Staff Sergeant Gwen Hicks, who was to drive the three back to their apartment, and then to the harbor.

“I’ll see you on the ship,” the colonel said briskly, already hurrying from the office.  Dr. Fordem didn’t so much as grunt good-bye to his students.

Sergeant Hicks whisked the three students to their home, gave them five minutes to grab things, and then they were back in the jeep, winding their way to Chanansk City Harbor.  Sofia had heard the docks were not tourist-friendly, and she was not eager to visit them after dark.

Hicks drove down a number of service roads, stopping at Pier 38.  It was dark everywhere, and smelled terrible.  The sergeant pulled into a small, unmarked garage.

“Follow me,” she ordered briskly.

There, in the black water, was a small craft, completely unlit.  At most fifty feet long, the ship certainly didn’t look like the sleek military-style vessel Sofia had imagined.

A makeshift sign hung on the bow, identifying the vessel’s name:  Rạ̀w T̄hạng.

“Its locally-purchased,” Hicks explained, as if sensing Sofia’s confusion.  “Colonel Forrestal wants to keep our journey low-key.”

 _Which probably means,_ Sofia thought worriedly, _this is some kind of secret mission.  Great._

Standing next to the ship’s mooring lines were two lone figures, both smoking cigarettes.  One was a white man, mid-thirties, smaller and shorter than either Sofia or Emily.  He wore a US Army’s service uniform, with an open shirt and displaying far too much chest hair.  Every piece of clothing he wore was somehow stained with black grease.  The fellow looked Sofia up and down.  Then he smirked, waggling his eyebrows.

His companion was an African-American woman, slender and beautiful.  Sofia couldn’t guess her age, but the woman appeared to be in even better shape than Sergeant Hicks.  She wore a thin overcoat, which covered her figure from neck to toe.  Her expression was icy.  Sofia was surprised when Hicks snapped to attention and saluted her.

The woman saluted back.  “You four arrived first,” she remarked.  “Forrestal just called in; said the rest of the team is still ten minutes out.”

“Then we cast off?” Hicks asked.

The woman nodded, flicking her cigarette into the black water.  She examined the graduate students.  “God, they’re young,” she remarked, as if Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia weren’t even there.

Sofia frowned.

“I’m Grace,” the woman said, not extending her hand.  “And this gentleman here is Captain Mick.”

The thin man grinned, revealing yellow teeth.  He was now ogling Emily.

“I… have a few questions,” Sofia began.

Grace shook her head.  “I’d resist that notion, if I were you,” she said plainly.  “Look, this trip will be fairly boring for you three.  If all goes well.  Just keep your head down, stay away from the lower port cabin and-“

There was a distant screech of tires.  Grace and Hicks immediately tensed.

Sofia craned her neck in the direction of the commotion.  She could hear an engine approaching, then stop.  Many boots struck the ground.

“Oh my God,” Grace said, her voice tight.

Almost at the same time, Sergeant Hicks commanded, “Get on board!”

And then the gunshots rang out!  Sofia heard loud pops and thought she felt a whistling sound zip by her left ear.  Instantly her heart was pounding.

“ ** _Get on board!_** ” Hicks screamed again.  “ ** _GO!!!_** ”

Captain Mick was already racing over the wobbling gangplank.  Wyatt was the first to follow him, then Emily, then Sofia.

As Sofia reached the gangplank, a bullet smashed through a window on the Rạ̀w T̄hạng’s bridge cabin.  Raw fear gripped the poor archeology student, and she couldn’t help but scream in terror.

“ ** _Get on the boat!_** ” Grace hissed, right behind her.  Three more shots whizzed by.

The gangplank shimmied beneath her like it was about to break in two.  Somehow Sofia made it across, although it helped that Grace pushed her across by the shoulders.

And then Hicks was on board.  A smoking pistol was in her hand.  “Go, go!” she yelled at Captain Mick.  The sergeant quickly handed the pistol to Grace, then dove for a metal chest lashed to the deck.

Captain Mick had hurriedly thrown off the mooring lines.  Now he was in the bridge cabin, flicking control panel switches at light speed.  The T̄hạng’s engine roared to life, sputtering and churning the water.  Sofia felt the deck vibrate beneath her.

“Jesus Christ, here they come,” Grace muttered.  “ ** _Everyone get down!!!_** ”  She fired three shots with the pistol.

Men in black were racing down the long pier, their guns blazing.  Two more windows shattered.

Sofia fell to the deck, her heart pounding furiously.  Why weren’t they moving?!?

Sergeant Hicks leapt up, a machine gun in her hands.  The young soldier threw back the bolt and opened fire, screaming a wordless battle cry as her weapon blazed.

The men scattered, momentarily halting their advance.  But they did not withdraw.

Grace scrambled into the bridge cabin, shouting orders.

Then the T̄hạng bucked, actually tossing Sofia into the air for a moment.  They were backing out of the peer!  It seemed like the old vessel was crawling at a pitiful rate… but it was movement.

On the shore, there was an explosion.  Hicks had hit an oil drum.

The attackers regrouped, this time taking cover.  But the harbor was dark and once Hicks ceased firing, she made for an elusive target.

The sergeant crawled past Sofia, moving quickly.  Her machine gun was clutched in her hands.  It smelt of burnt sulfur.

Meanwhile, Captain Mick had guided his ship beyond the peer.  He shifted gears, cut the wheel starboard, and opened up the throttle.  The Rạ̀w T̄hạng leapt forward, surprisingly quick for an older boat.

There were a few desperate shots from the peer.  But Sofia and company had escaped.

*****


	2. They’re Coming Up Fast

The Rạ̀w T̄hạng raced out of the harbor, using no running lights or the usual radio beacons.  Captain Mick skillfully flew his craft as if it was a fighter jet, easily dodging the lumbering freighters and fishing junks that were steaming home.  Within fifteen minutes, the T̄hạng was clear and in open waters.  Mick set a course westward.

Sofia felt sick.  She was fairly certain she’d nearly died that night.  Violent memories of their frantic departure kept cutting into her thoughts.  She gagged and clutched the ship’s rails.

“You okay?” Grace asked her.

Sofia couldn’t answer.

“Look, grab a hammock below,” the tall woman said grimly.  “Tomorrow’s gonna be a rough day.”

*****

Things did not feel any better in the morning.  Sofia clamored on deck, to see that the Rạ̀w T̄hạng was plowing up the Pasaktu at quite a fast clip.  The lush Lanamari jungle stretched across both banks, swallowing all horizons.

Captain Mick was in the bridge cabin, glaring at the river, one hand on the wheel.  The ship shuddered as it thundered on; it seemed like there was an awful lot of black smoke billowing from the exhaust stack.

Emily and Wyatt were standing off to one side, Wyatt with his arms around his fiancée.  Both had pale expressions; Sofia doubted they had slept much.

She approached.  “Hey,” she managed.

Emily ignored her.  Wyatt replied with a meager grunt.

“You guys get anything out of that Grace woman?” Sofia asked.  “Or Sergeant Hicks?”

“All I can figure,” said Wyatt, “is that we’re supposed to be on this trip with a bunch of other Army guys.  Only some black op mercs or some shit appeared first and tried to kill us.  And here we are.”

 _So,_ Sofia thought sarcastically, _you don’t know anything.  Well done, Wyatt._

“I’m gonna ask,” she said firmly.  “You guys should join me.”

Neither Emily nor Wyatt budged.

Sofia retreated back along the deck, poking her head into the bridge cabin.  “Have you seen-“ she began.

Captain Mick pointed back along the Rạ̀w T̄hạng’s rail, a quick and dismissive gesture.  He didn’t make eye contact with Sofia.

Disgusted, Sofia was about to follow his directions when she spotted something upstream in the river.  “Hey…!” she exclaimed.

Far up along the west bank, a row of teeth-like rocks rose from the water.  Here, the Pasaktu frothed and churned with an angry vengeance.  Sofia could make out a man, a small Lanamari man, clinging to one of those stones, far from the shore.  He was desperately waving to the ship.

“Hey!” Sofia said, pointing.  “You see him?”

Captain Mick didn’t answer out loud.  But the ends of his mouth turned down.

“Slow down,” snapped the graduate student.  “Make for that guy, you got it?”

“Hey,” Captain Mick said, “I don’t-“

“You’re gonna let that guy drown?” Sofia demanded.  “Really?”

The captain scowled.  “Sergeant Hicks said-“

“ ** _Pull over!_** ” roared Sofia, outraged at Mick’s disregard.

The captain muttered something under his breath, but eased on the throttle.  The Rạ̀w T̄hạng nudged toward the rocks.

“I can’t get too close!” he warned, as Sofia sprang from the cabin.

The archeology student snatched a thick coil of rope from the deck.  She wasn’t much of a sailor, but riding on the Livin’ Large had at least taught her how to secure a line.  She tied it quickly.

She could see now; this poor fellow had been boating, when his craft was flipped over and smashed by the rushing waters.  The Pasaktu could be treacherous that way.  It was a miracle the man had caught the rock at all.

“You gotta hurry!” Captain Mick yelled, fighting the wheel.  “The current’s pulling us into the rocks!”

Sofia hurled the line out across the water with both arms.  Her chest tight, she watched desperately as the man below reached for the rope.  It flew over his fingers and plopped into the churning river.

The poor fellow leapt after the line, and Sofia screamed.  All she could see was white water, angrily lashing the rocks.

Suddenly the rope went taught.  Sofia scrambled, hauling at the line with all her strength.  The itchy nylon cut into her hands, but she pulled with all she had.

“Help me!” she bellowed at Emily and Wyatt, who were just standing there.

“Hey!” shouted Grace from the bow.  “Why are we slowing down?”

Sofia ignored the woman.  She pulled with Emily and Wyatt, straining with her arms and back.

A thin, brown arm appeared at the railing.  Wyatt hurried forward, reaching for the survivor’s trembling hands.  Within a minute, the poor man was shivering on the deck.

Instantly, Captain Mick slammed on the throttle, steering the Rạ̀w T̄hạng back into deeper waters.

*****

The rescued man was skinny, incredibly skinny.  Trembling like a leaf, the fellow’s dark skin shone as the river water flowed from his body.  Sofia helped him into a chair.

The man was speaking rapidly in Lanamari, bobbing his head.  He grasped Sofia’s arms in gratitude, even as she tried to lower him down to relax.

“Thank you, thank you!” the man said over and over again, speaking in his native tongue.  “You saved me!”

The fellow’s name was Tam.  It seemed that his village sent him downstream once a month with an orchid crop.  This time, the river was more swollen than usual, and a bad turn had flipped over his boat.

Tam babbled on and on, thanking Sofia so many times, it was getting embarrassing.

Meanwhile, Grace was haranguing Captain Mick in the bridge cabin.  “ ** _I don’t care!_** ” she roared.  “You don’t slow down for anything, not without my orders!”

The tall woman strode forward.  Her eyes narrowed when she saw Tam.

“So,” she said tersely.  “This is our visitor?”

“He was about to drown,” Sofia said defensively.

Grace frowned, looking down at her own boots.

“He…” she grumbled, searching for words.  “This man’s presence complicates things.”

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Sofia demanded angrily.

Sergeant Hicks raced up.  She glanced at their waterlogged visitor, but quickly grabbed Grace by the arm.  “We’ve got trouble,” she said tightly.

*****

Hicks and Grace hurried to the bow.  Suspicious, Sofia followed.

Their current stretch of the river was a rare moment where the Pasaktu flowed in almost a straight line.  From their position, they could see almost ten miles back downstream.

Hicks pointed behind them, and handed Grace the binoculars.  “You see them?” she said tightly.

Grace peered, and swore.

“What?” Sofia demanded.

She squinted herself.  Far, far down the river, a small black dot appeared right at the water’s edge.  Another ship.

“They’re coming up fast,” Hicks said, her voice dark.

Grace almost threw the binoculars to the deck.  “ ** _Fuck!_** ”

“Our radio… it isn’t encrypted?” Hicks asked.

Grace shook her head.  “The rest of the team, they… they were supposed to bring the encrypted set.”

Sofia snatched the binoculars, and peered back at the remote vessel.  “Could it be… a fishing ship?” she said lamely.

“Fishermen can’t afford engines making that speed upriver,” Hicks grimly replied.

“Shut up, Gwen!” snapped Grace.  “She’s not need-to-know.”

“Her ass is just as much in the fire as yours,” shot back Hicks.

The two women glared at each other.  For the first time, Sofia realized how much tension there was between them.

“Get Mick back here,” Grace ordered Sofia.  “Get him now.”

The archeology student frowned, but obeyed.  Mick ordered her to take the wheel, but Sofia wasn’t about to miss what happened next for anything.  She gave the wheel to Wyatt.

By the time Sofia rejoined Grace, Hicks, and Mick, the captain was rubbing his chin.

“We might outrace them,” he thought aloud.  “I haven’t opened up the throttle completely, not yet.  ‘Course if we go faster, we burn fuel faster.  And they might not be at top speed neither.”

“They want to catch us,” Grace argued.  “They’ve already got the petal to the metal.”

“Hmmgh,” replied Mick.  “Come with me.”

*****

The group retreated below deck, to the mess room.  On the far wall, there was a series of cubbyholes, each holding a chart.  Mick selected the largest parchment, rolling it out over the dining table.

Before them, on the map, was the Pasaktu River, with all of its tributaries.  “I think we’re about here,” he said, tapping a stretch of river.  “If so, in about a mile, the Pasaktu will begin breaking apart into the smaller tributaries.  If we put on a burst a speed and then ducked into one of the smaller channels, we might lose the buggers.”

Grace leaned in, scrutinizing the map.  “If we took… this one here, will it lead us significantly off course?”

Mick let out a breath.  “I don’t think so.  You might have to travel farther through the jungle to reach the-“

“ ** _Okay_** , thank you,” Grace interrupted, with a quick glance at Sofia.

“If you want to do this, say now,” the captain warned.  “We’re nearly there.”

Sofia couldn’t believe her ears.  The whole point of dragging her, Emily, and Wyatt along on this crazy voyage was because they knew the main river.  Now Grace was about to charge up a tributary?  That made the three archeology students essentially useless.

“We haven’t got a choice,” Grace pronounced.  “We’ll just have to figure out the rest as we go.  Failure isn’t an option.”  She nodded at Mick.  “Do it.”

*****

The captain waited until the Pasaktu finally curved to the east.  Then he hit the gas.  The Rạ̀w T̄hạng grunted, coughed, then plowed up the great river with a determined ferocity.  Sofia actually had to hold on to the rail to keep from sliding around on the shaking deck.

Tam clutched at Sofia’s arm.  “Why so fast?” he asked over and over.  She didn’t know how to answer.

Then Captain Mick swung the wheel.  The Rạ̀w T̄hạng lurched, nearly tossing everyone overboard.  The dingy little ship thundered away from the main river, heading up into a smaller channel off the west bank.  Sofia couldn’t help but notice that both sides of this new branch were flanked by enormous dead trees.  The jungle was darker and ominous here.

Tam’s eyes suddenly went wide.  “No, no, no!” he cried out in Lanamari.  “No, no!”

“Tam,” Sofia shouted, trying be heard above the clanking on the engine.

“No, no!” Tam repeated, shaking Sofia’s arm.  “Not that way!  Mustn’t go that way!”

He went on and on.  “The enslaver!” he warned, genuine fear in his eyes.  “The enslaver awaits us up there!”

“What?” Sofia asked, skeptical, but intrigued nonetheless.  “What do you mean?”

Tam hurriedly tried to explain.  His village and the others for miles around all feared this part of the jungle.  There was a monster deep within these trees, he explained, who preyed on the young of his people.  Young men and women, especially beautiful young women, would simply vanish whenever this creature was spotted roaming.  The only defense was to stay as far away as possible.

But the Rạ̀w T̄hạng was already too far up the tributary to turn back now.  Captain Mick cut the engine, and the little ship settled back into the water.

Sofia glanced about.  She did have to admit; the jungle seemed threatening here.

*****

Hours passed.  In the narrower river, Captain Mick was forced to proceed slower.  The waters were almost black, but the adventurers could occasionally see sharp rocks protruding up from the depths.  More alarmingly, the bones of large animals appeared strewn on either bank.

“This land,” Tam said for the hundredth time, “is cursed.”

The good news was there was no further sign of pursuit.  The black ship which had followed them did not appear.

*****

By nightfall, they had to stop and drop anchor.  “We’d be foolhardy to drive through this without any visibility,” Mick firmly told Grace.  The older woman scowled… but conceded.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Hicks and Grace were fighting almost continuously.  The two women were obviously under enormous pressure.  Things finally came to a head when Hicks snapped, “Goddamnit, I’m telling them, or you can go fuck yourself!”

Shortly after, Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia were summoned into the tiny mess room.  (Tam was left up on deck, on Grace’s firm insistence.)  “Look, you guys,” Hicks told the three students, “I’m gonna level with you.  Because we’re in desperate straits, and well, I need your help.  You’re all I got.”

Grace, in the corner, folded her arms and glared.  But she made no attempt to stop the sergeant.

“Three days ago,” Hicks began, trembling slightly, “the US Army lost an observation satellite, presumably because of an onboard malfunction.  We don’t know.  We do know it soft-landed in Lanamar, because it went down still transmitting, and resumed transmitting for a day **_after_** re-entry.”

The sergeant paused to make eye contact with Emily, then Wyatt, then Sofia.  “The problem is the United States military has very limited resources in the area of the world.  And unfortunately, the satellite made a lot of noise as it went down.  Our analysts estimate that every major US adversary saw it descend into Lanamar.”

“That’s why you guys had to rush into the jungle immediately,” Sofia exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Hicks acknowledged.  “Colonel Forrestal got the assignment.  He was supposed to be in command; I was to be his second.”

“So… who were the bad guys shooting at us?” Emily asked.

Hicks shrugged helplessly.  “I don’t know.”

“Mercenaries,” Grace cut in, still frowning.  “Working for… God knows.”

Sofia turned to study the older woman.  “And you’re… CIA?” she guessed.

Grace pursed her lips.  “I know how the satellite works,” she said curtly.  “I should be in charge of this mission, but…”

“Well, you’re not,” Hicks snapped.  “I’ve deferred to you too much as it is.”

“Okay, okay, ladies,” Wyatt said, just irritating the situation more.  “So why are you telling us this?”

“Look around you, Wyatt,” said Hicks, exasperated.  “I’m supposed to be on this tub with a dozen marines and an experienced field officer.  Instead, I have you three.  But I’m telling you, if this satellite falls into the wrong hands…”

“It would be bad,” Grace said quietly.  “ ** _Very bad_** for America.  You get me?”

Sofia felt a chill run down her spine.

“And we can’t call for help?” Emily asked.

Hicks shook her head wearily.  “Not with hostiles out there.  They’re listening for us, believe me.”

“Forrestal is working on getting a chopper crew together, I’m sure,” Grace said.

“But at best, that’s still a few days out,” Hicks sighed.

Depressed, Sofia slunk down in her seat.

“There is some good news,” the sergeant said wearily.  “We have a fix on the satellite; I don’t think the bad guys do.  All we have to do is get to the asset first, and either haul it back to the ship or destroy it.  That’s it.”

“Yeah,” Wyatt groused, sarcastic.  “Sounds easy.”

Hicks flashed an angry look.  “I get that this isn’t your favorite way to spend a weekend,” she snarled, “but **_you do understand_** that there are really important things at stake here, right, Wyatt?  Like the defense of your country?!?”

“Sorry,” muttered Wyatt, not sounding sorry at all.

Sergeant Hicks glanced downward.  Sofia could see the weight on the young woman’s shoulders.

“Look,” she said, “I’m asking a lot of you guys.  Your country is asking a lot.  We gotta rise to the occasion, you get me?  Sometimes being an American is all about doing the right thing.”

*****

In the morning, they awoke to find heavy fog coating the river.

“Great,” sneered Captain Mick.

But he started up the engines nonetheless.  The Rạ̀w T̄hạng rumbled forward, cautiously.

*****

Within an hour, disaster struck.

The ship rocked, and there was a horrible scraping sound from beneath the waterline.

“Fuck!” swore Mick, cutting the wheel furiously.  “We hit something!”

Indeed they had.  The damage wasn’t catastrophic, but the T̄hạng was taking on water in the forward hold.  She didn’t have an hour before she would sink to the bottom of the river.

“Options?” Hicks asked tersely.

“Only one,” Mick replied.  “I gotta beach the ship and fucking hope I can repair the damage.  Or else, we’re all swimming home.”

The three students, Tam, and Grace all braced themselves in the center of the forward deck.  Captain Mick gunned the engine, made a lazy swing, then charged at a beach along the river bank.  Sofia grit her teeth and clung to the radio mast.

There was a great jolt, terrible to feel through the bones of the ship.  The Rạ̀w T̄hạng groaned as she pushed herself out of the water and onto the shore.  Gravel crunched and jungle undergrowth snapped as the hull crushed against the land.  Then there was a sickening lurch as the vessel rolled onto one side.  Wyatt actually tumbled from the deck, over the railing, and onto the shore.

“Poopsie-boo!” shouted Emily, leaping down to check on him.

Sofia had banged her head against the mast and was seeing stars.  The deck was now at a horrible angle, almost perpendicular with the ground.

“God ** _damn!_** ” Captain Mick exclaimed, climbing out of the bridge cabin window.  His eyes were shining.  “I always wanted to try that!”

*****

The damage to the ship looked pretty bad to Sofia.  There was a foot-long gash on the port hull – thin, but obviously bad enough.

“I can patch that,” Mick promised the others, although he didn’t sound confident.

Of bigger concern was how to get the Rạ̀w T̄hạng back into the water.  The ship’s powerful engines had propelled her too far away from the waterline.

“The river rises with the tide… right?” Emily asked hopefully.

“We’ll think of something,” Mick said carelessly.  “You guys let me get to work.  Go find your space gizmo.  Hopefully I’ll be in the water, waiting for you when you get back.”

*****


	3. There is Evil Here

Sofia was endlessly grateful that she’d worn her hiking boots.  The Lanamari jungle was thick, uneven, and unforgiving.  At least she was faring better than Emily and Wyatt, who were in ordinary tennis shoes.

Sergeant Hicks led the way through the jungle, hacking through vines and thick brush with a frightening-looking machete.  In her military pants and a mere tank top, Hicks’ taught muscles shone under the layer of sweat coating her body.  Grace, who also changed into more fitting apparel, marched behind her, occasionally taking lead with the sword.

And Tam, who seemed determined to protect Sofia, took up a position at the rear.  At first Sofia foolishly thought the little man was afraid… until she noted he was carefully watching the jungle behind them.  “There is evil here,” he would mutter over and over.

*****

The little party hiked over the jungle hills, making terrible time.  The trees and vines were bunched together so tightly, some times it felt like the group had to navigate around solid walls.  They also found deep bogs of smelly ooze, which had to be carefully avoided.  At one point, Emily slipped down a steep hillside, and nearly disappeared into one such pool.

A bigger problem were insects.  The local mosquitos were delighted to find the Westerners, who tasted sweet and juicy.  Poor Wyatt was especially delicious, and was followed by a buzzing cloud of the little monsters.

After a mere three hours, the group was exhausted.  Sofia was convinced their mission was sheer folly.  How big was this satellite, anyway?  Was it remotely possible six little people could carry it out of this thick jungle?  She didn’t see how.

Grace and Sergeant Hicks grew more stressed as the day wore on.  The two barely spoke.  Their shoulders were tight and their expressions grim.

*****

After midday, the party reached the top of another hill.  Despite her exhaustion, Sergeant Hicks exclaimed “Hey…!” and then pointed forward.

Sofia looked.  There, at the base of the hill, were the ruins of a city.  Crumbled stone walls spilled out of the trees, and her trained eye could spot the foundations of huts which had washed away long ago.  Despite the misery of trudging through the jungle, Sofia felt her academic spirit awakened.

Emily was also fascinated.  “Let’s take a look, you guys,” she eagerly proposed.

Grace checked her electronic tracker.  “We have to head in that direction anyway,” the CIA woman frowned.  “Might as well.  You kids looking for souvenirs?”

*****

The city was **_ancient_** , probably predating the second and first Phichit dynasties.  Long, long ago, the entire metropolis had been destroyed in a fire, as evidenced by the ugly scorch marks on the base stones.  Sofia was tempted to look for pottery or tool fragments, but centuries of monsoons had washed out this place long ago.

The little party explored further.  Even Tam seemed to forget his fear and gaped in wonder at the ancient stonework of the larger ruins.

The city spread out for perhaps a mile before opening up into a wide plain.  At the center, the explorers could see the largest ruin yet; a palace, once magnificent, now reduced to charred stone.

“Wow,” even Grace said, impressed.  For once, the uptight officer appeared in awe.

“This was a king’s palace,” Emily exclaimed, truly ecstatic.  “See here?  You can see a royal crest carved into these basestones.  **_Jesus_** , they’re still intact!”

Sofia was also becoming thrilled.  “Holy shit, you guys!  The engraving is still here, too!”  She pulled off the thick moss and dirt, then squinted at the etched runes.  “ _Phechr Palace,_ ” she read slowly, “ _Home to his Glorious Majesty King of All / King Chakrii / May He Reign Forever._ ”

“You can read that?” Hicks asked Sofia, impressed.

Sofia shrugged.  “I’m good at translations.  It was why Dr. Fordem hired me.”

“Oh my God, Soph!” Emily cried, examining a cracked mural that has somehow survived the ages.  “This… this place **_predates_** the Phichit!  Fordem would give his testicles to reach here first!”

“Yeah!” enthused Sofia.  “But this place… its ours!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, girls,” Grace warned.  “We’re passing through, remember?”

“How much further is the satellite?” asked Emily.

The tall CIA woman fiddled with the tracker.  “I’m guessing… three miles?  In that direction.”  She pointed east.

Hicks mopped her forehead.  “Then we camp here for the night.  We’re not going to make another three miles in thick jungle, not today.”

Grace started to protest, but the sergeant waved her off.  “No arguments,” Hicks insisted.  “We’re at our limit.  Let the kids run around in their new playground.  You make camp, I’ll see if I can’t hunt for some dinner.  Sound good, all?”

Sofia was thrilled.  A few hours to explore a ruined city?  This was every archeologist’s dream.

As she began to wander, Tam suddenly clamped a hand onto her arm.  “We cannot stay here,” the little man whispered fearfully.  “It is not safe.”

*****

Despite Tam’s warnings, the team elected to make camp just beyond the palace.  On the northern side, they found what must have once been a garden, complete with dried-up fountains.  There were wild jasmine bushes everywhere, perhaps descendants of domesticated jasmine which grew in this very garden, centuries ago.

Emily and Sofia explored the city, then the palace, snapping digipictures like crazy and excitedly discussing their findings.  Wyatt trailed along, although he was far less impressed.  And Tam insisted on sticking close by, gripping a makeshift spear.  He jumped every time the breeze rustled the trees.

Phechr Palace had borne the brunt of the great fire.  Most of the ancient castle was in complete ruin, although some of the old stone corridors were still standing.

“You guys!” Emily called out, her voice trembling.

Sofia and Wyatt found her standing in what must have been a grand chamber.

“This was the king’s throne room,” Emily said with certainty.  “See?  The throne was made from wood, and it once sat on that dais, there.”

Even with three walls collapsed, they could sense how majestic the room must have been in its day.  The old columns still stretched upward, supporting a decayed ceiling.

Wyatt climbed up on the dais.  “Hey you guys,” he crowed and stooped to pick something up.

Sofia cringed a little as the boy lifted a great, copper-colored sword.  The weapon had a two-handed hilt and the three-foot blade curved slightly.

“Heh,” Wyatt smirked, then began waving the weapon in the air.  “Badass…!” he complimented himself.

“Jesus, put that down,” scolded Emily.

Wyatt played barbarian for another few seconds before examining the weapon a little more closely.  “Oh,” he said with obvious disappointment.  “Its only ceremonial.  This blade wouldn’t cut through butter.”

With disgust, the boy dropped the sword back down onto the floor.

*****

As the sun was setting, the grad students could smell meat roasting over a fire.  It was hard to tear themselves away from the ruins, but they returned to the makeshift camp in the palace garden.

“You three having fun?” Sergeant Hicks said crassly.  She’d shot a jungle boar and now the juicy caucus was dripping over the campfire.  Sofia’s stomach rumbled.

The party ate like kings, licking their fingers as they went.  Tam amazed everyone by devouring more than any three other people.

Once bellies were full, Sofia and Emily buried the remains of the pig while Grace rummaged through her backpack.

“Is this the radio?” Wyatt asked, picking up a metallic green box with a speaker and buttons on one side.

Grace snatched at the device.  “Don’t touch anything!”  Her backpack fell to the ground, spilling other devices onto the jungle grass.

As Grace and Wyatt jostled, a red switch on the radio lit up.  The device crackled.  Then, the little party heard male voices from the speaker, talking in harsh and angry words.  Sofia couldn’t make out the language.

Grace listened for a moment, worried.  “That’s the mercenaries,” she said heavily.  “Whoever they are, they don’t give up.  Fuck me.  They’re not far off.”

She snapped off the radio.

Hicks wiped her hands on her pants, a sharp look on her face.  “Sooner or later, we’re gonna have to call Colonel Forrestal.”

“Yeah, but… we can’t yet,” Grace scowled.  “Those guys, whoever they are, they could be right on top of us.  If they capture us…”

She didn’t finish that sentence.

Sofia looked down.  Two identical gizmos from Grace backpack were at her feet.  Each were marked with many words, including two which immediately caught Sofia’s eye: “REMOTE DETONATOR”

“This US Army observation satellite,” the archeology student said, cocking one eyebrow, “it wouldn’t be carrying anything… explosive, would it?”

Grace snatched the detonators, her face dark.

“ ** _Everybody,_** ” Hicks said sharply, taking command.  “Stretch out by the fire.  Get some sleep.  I’ll take first watch.  Sofia, you’ll relieve me, okay?”

On edge and uncomfortable, the little party settled in for the night.  Sofia had never slept under the stars before, nor on hard earth.  The jungle air was cold and clammy; the fire was roaring hot.

Sofia couldn’t find a comfortable position.  Her mind was whirling too much to relax, anyway.  The satellite, Sofia was certain, was some sort of weapon.  A dreadful weapon.  The US Army wouldn’t make a mad scramble up the Pasaktu River for an “observation satellite.”  An observation satellite would carry, what, cameras?  But a weapons satellite… well, that would explain why people were willing to kill to obtain it.

It was a long time before she drifted off to sleep.

*****

Harsh sunlight stabbed Sofia’s eyes.  She grunted, already feeling a bad kink in her neck.  Her shivering body was sprinkled with dew.

With difficulty, the archeology student climbed up onto her haunches.  She had slept on her left side, and now it was covered with dirt, twigs, and dead leaves.  Disgusting.

A sudden thought hit Sofia as she collected her thoughts.  _Wait,_ she realized.   _Wasn’t Hicks supposed to wake me for a watch?_

The beautiful grad student looked around.  Lying next to the dead fire was Emily, Wyatt, and Grace, all asleep, all rolled up into the fetal position.  Hicks and Tam were gone.

“Hey,” Sofia said, shaking Emily gently.  Something was wrong.  “Hey, get up…!”

Within minutes, the party was revived, if not a little grumpy.

Grace was alarmed when told that there was no sign of Sergeant Hicks.  “Jesus,” the CIA officer fretted.  “She wouldn’t just leave us…”

“Maybe she’s out shooting breakfast?” said Wyatt hopefully.

“Everybody look about,” Grace ordered, her voice stern.  “Find her.  Don’t wander too far off.  And-”

Emily let out a frightened scream.  The others whirled toward her.

“Look!” exclaimed Emily, breathing with fright.  She pointed at a large jasmine bush.  “There’s…  There’s a face in there!”

Indeed there was.  Behind the soft branches and blossoms, they could see the statue of a beautiful young woman, covered up by the jungle, long ago.

“A statue…?” Sofia wondered.

“Jesus, they carved her to make it look like she was in **_agony_** ,” Sofia observed.

Unable to help her curiosity, Sofia pulled on the bushes, clearing them away.  The statue was life-sized, resting on the ground without a pedestal or base.  There were no carvings or inscriptions nearby, nor did the statue seemed to be placed in any decorative position within the garden.

Very odd.  What was even odder that the carved girl was depicted in a detailed dress, obviously suggesting she was meant to be royalty.  Yet the stone girl was twisted and screaming, her body positioned in a visual expression of sheer torment.

“Gnarly,” Wyatt cracked.

“This is so weird, you guys,” Emily commented, running her fingers over the statue’s arm.  “Stone carvings of this era aren’t this detailed.  Why, assuming the artist had only hand chisels, they shouldn’t have been able to capture this level of texture or-“

“Do you eggheads **_mind?_** ” Grace asked, fuming.  “We have a missing member of our team, remember?  Play ancient art critic another day.”

She was right, of course.  Emily, Wyatt, and Sofia tore themselves away and began to fan out.  They called for Hicks and Tam.

*****

After five minutes, Sofia was discouraged.  There was no sign of either Sergeant Hicks or Tam.  She turned to return to the camp when a flutter of cloth caught her eyes.

It was a shirt, tossed against a rubber tree.  Hicks’ tank top.

“You guys!” Sofia shouted.  “Over here!”

By the time the others had arrived, Sofia had found more clothes:  Hicks’ top, pants, boots, socks, underwear, and belt.

“Jesus Christ,” Grace muttered, looking over the discarded clothing.  “Is this… everything she was wearing?”

“Looks like it,” observed Emily.

“You’re telling me,” exclaimed Wyatt, looking about, “that Hicks is somewhere out in the jungle… totally butt naked?”

“What…  Why the fuck would she **_do_** that?” Grace spluttered, exasperated and fearful.

Sofia wondered, “Maybe she was kidnapped by the bad guys…?”

But that made no sense.  Why would the mercenaries kidnap only Sergeant Hicks and not the rest of their team?  Any why make Hicks strip naked?

“There’s no sign of a struggle, no indication that she was forced to the ground or anything,” Grace fretted.

Sofia looked at the CIA woman with concern.  Grace was really starting to show signs of cracking under pressure.

“So… Hicks took off all her clothes willingly, wandered off into the jungle, and never let any of us know what she was up to, then?” Emily said dryly.  “Well, that’s just fucking great.”

“Okay, okay,” Grace snapped, rubbing her forehead.  “I don’t fucking get it… but… well…”

“We’ve got a mission to complete,” Sofia offered.

The CIA woman nodded, sharply.  “Right.  Right.  Get the gear.  We’ve got three miles.  We need to get going.  Okay?”

Without conversation, the four remaining adventurers scooped up their gear, and moved east towards the jungle.

They were about to penetrate the trees when Emily let out a bloodcurdling scream.  “Oh, fuck!” she sobbed.

She’d found Tam.  The poor man was laying at the base of a tree, dead, his body smashed and crumpled.  It was as if something enormous had crushed his bones, then flicked him aside without another thought.

*****

The little party made even worse time in the jungle without Sergeant Hicks’ strong arms.  Grace, then Sofia, then Wyatt, then Emily all took turns on the machete, rapidly discovering it to be bruising, backbreaking work.  After an hour of pitiful slogging, they began to try to worming their way around the undergrowth, rather than chop through it.

They also made a serious rookie mistake; no-one had refilled the canteen before moving into the jungle.  They could drink the dew-water trapped on top of the big banana plant leaves, but sometimes that was foul or swarming with insects.

“Listen,” panted Grace, when the lack of water was obviously a serious problem.  “You guys hear a stream?”

They all paused, straining their ears.  Over the distant cries of the animals and the winds, they could hear the babbling of water.  It seemed to be coming from the south.

“Here,” Grace ordered Sofia, shoving the canteen at her.  “Go fetch.  We’ll wait for you.”

“Me?” Sofia scowled.

“Do it,” warned Grace.  “And you can skip machete duty for a turn.  Got me?”

Ten nasty retorts bubbled up in Sofia’s mind, but she swallowed them all.  Without a word, she snatched the canteen and stumbled off.

*****

The stream was two hills over, threading its way over smooth rocks and clear pools.  Sofia, despite her exhaustion, was glad she’d been dispatched the moment she saw the water.

She filled the canteen, drank like a sailor, then filled it again.  Oh, the cool water tasted delicious!  The student smiled, pausing to dip her hands and then wash her brow and neck.  That felt great, too.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sofia stripped out of her boots, sweaty shirt, and shorts.  Hoping Wyatt wasn’t watching, she splashed the water over her legs, stomach, and arms.  It felt wonderful, just wonderful.  She smiled, shivering a little, as she worked.

A rustling sound made Sofia freeze, however.  Was some creature approaching?  She had no weapon.  If she screamed for help, it would take minutes for the other three to arrive.  The archeology student tensed.  She picked up a rock from the stream and gripped it firmly.

The ferns parted, and then Sergeant Hicks stepped forward on the opposite bank.  The trim military woman was completely naked, her lean body almost shining in the soft jungle light.  She moved without a care, her arms hanging at her sides, her feet confidently gripping the forest floor.  Oddly, Hicks’ expression was somewhat vague; her eyes were unfocused, and there was an odd little smile on her lips.

The sergeant stopped at the water’s edge.  She beamed at the startled Sofia.

“Sergeant!” Sofia exclaimed, rising to her feet.  Although the other woman was naked, the student felt like she was the exposed one in only her sports bra and panties.

Hicks didn’t say anything.

“Jesus, where have you been?” Sofia said, hopping over the stream.  “We were worried sick about you!  Tam… did you see how Tam died?”

“There you are, Sofia,” Hicks said absently.  “I haven’t been far.”

“Why’d you take off your clothes?” Sofia exclaimed.  “Hey, the others have your stuff in a backpack.  We only need to call them-“

“Don’t call them, Sofia,” Hicks said quickly.  “I’ve found someone you should meet.”

Puzzled, Sofia looked at the military woman closely.  She was acting strangely, no doubt about it.  It took a moment for Sofia to place it; for the first time since they’d met, Hicks seemed relaxed.  At peace.  The weight of responsibility was entirely gone from her shoulders.  Her eyes were slightly unfocused, and her smile was detached.  She seemed… spacy.

What the hell had happened to her?  Perhaps there was a tribe living in these jungles who had captured and brainwashed Hicks?  Maybe she was… drugged somehow?

“Com’on,” the student said firmly, taking the sergeant’s arm.  “Let’s get to the others.”

But Hicks refused to budge.

A rustling from above startled Sofia.  She looked up into the trees.  To her shock and horror, an **_enormous_** black snake, perhaps a python, was lounged across the yawning boughs, looking down upon her.

 ** _Jesus_** , this snake was **_HUGE!_**   Its body must have been over three feet in diameter, probably more.  As Sofia’s eyes swept up and down the huge reptile, she knew immediately it was at least two hundred feet in length, probably much longer.  The serpent’s massive body threaded through at least six different trees.

And that head!  The snake’s head was almost a large as she was!  Sofia shrank back as the beast’s green eyes, each the size of soccer balls, gazed down at her.  A black, forked tongue flicked out between the thing’s lips.

“ ** _Holy shit!!!_** ” Sofia cried.  She staggered backwards, falling over a dead tree.

Hicks stooped to help her up, still with that faint smile.  “Hey, its okay.  He won’t hurt you.”

The archeology student gave a quizzical look.  “How… how can you possibly know that?!?”

“Because he didn’t harm me,” Hicks said soothingly.  “Seriously, you’re totally safe.”

Sofia rose to her feet, still wary.

“Its okay,” promised Hicks.  “Hey.  I know this is the weirdest thing you’ve heard all year, but I think this creature can help us.”

“For real?” Sofia said warily, casting her eyes down the long body of the serpent yet again.

“Absolutely,” the naked sergeant assured her.

There was a soft chuckling from up in the tree.

Sofia stared.  The snake was… laughing?

“ _It isss asss you sssaid,_ ” the reptile remarked to Hicks.  “ _Ssshe doesssn’t believe._ ”

“Fuck me,” Sofia exclaimed.  “It talks!”

The snake laughed again, a harsh but not angry sound.

Sofia’s mind reeled.  All her life, she’d read Southeast Asian mythology, which was packed with earth-spirits and talking animals.  It was another thing entirely to encounter such a being face-to-face.

“ _Yesss, young one, I talk,_ ” hissed the serpent.  The great beast leaned forward, causing the front of its body to slide out of the tree.  It hit the ground with an impressive **_whump!_**   “ _I’ve been watching you for quite sssome time now.  You and I, we have much too dissscussssss._ ”

Sofia didn’t like the way the creature spoke those words.

“What’s that?” she said cautiously.

As the great python approached, Sofia tensed her knees.  If necessary, she was ready to dash up the hill, back toward the others.

“ _Your companion tellsss me,_ ” the snake said.  “ _You can read the carvingsss at the old city.  Yesss?_ ”

Sofia glanced at Hicks, who was smiling peacefully.  “Sergeant Hicks told you that?”

The snake slid closer.  “ _How is it you can read the old markingsss?  Thossse ssstonesss are ancient._ ”

“I’m a student,” replied Sofia honestly.  “I study the old civilizations of this part of the world.”

“ _Hmm…_ ” the serpent remarked with interest.

The enormous creature was gliding closer, yet it made no aggressive motions.  There was no tension in its muscles, no indication that it was coiling to strike.  Sofia felt oddly at ease chatting away with this monstrosity of nature.

She cleared her throat.  “How… old are you?  Did you know the people who used to live in the old city?”

“ _At Phechr Palace?_ ” the serpent glowered, drawing closer.  Anger seemed to flicker over its cold expression.  “ _Let usss not ssspeak of the passst.  I am far more intresssted in you, my child._ ”

“Me?” Sofia echoed.  “Why me?”

“ _You undervalue yourssself!_ ” exclaimed the serpent.  “ _Thossse old ssstones have not been read in centuriesss, possssssibly longer.  I had thought the ability to read them was lossst, forever lossst._ ”

The sunlight beneath the jungle canopy was playing tricks.  The snake’s eyes, which first seemed green, now appeared blue.  A second later, they might have been violet.

“The root language is a descendant of Yue,” Sofia found herself explaining.  “Its… well, its quite old.”

“ _Yesss,_ ” the snake hissed, drawing closer.  It stared intently at the young archeologist.  “ _Tell me more, my child…_ ”

“We, um, have the translations of several Yue texts,” continued Sofia.  She felt oddly light-headed.  “It all… uh… its all documented.”

“ _I’m sssure it isss,_ ” the python murmured.  Its great snout was only three feet from Sofia’s face now, bearing down on her.

Those eyes… Sofia couldn’t look away from them.  Somehow they were definitely changing colors, pulsating in the bright sunlight.  As she watched, the snake’s pupils rotated through every color of the rainbow, a soothing, gentle progression.

“ _Tell me more,_ ” the snake commanded.

Sofia found herself speaking freely.  “I, er, specialize in ancient translations from… uh… this part of the world,” she said, her voice fading in strength.  It was like the snake had her under a truth serum or something.  “Its… what… I’ve trained… to do..”

“ _Very good,_ ” hissed the serpent.  Its eyes grew larger as Sofia stared up into them.

Those eyes were swirling now, turning into colorful vortexes that seemed to have no beginning nor end.  Sofia stared.  It was as if her body and the jungle around her were disappearing into those rich colors.

The serpent drew even closer.  Sofia had to raise her face as those bewitching eyes loomed over her.

“ _You are a clever one,_ ” the beast complimented.  “ _Very knowledgeable, very intelligent.  Your mind is powerful and impressssssive._ ”

Sofia felt almost sleepy.  “I… uh…” she said… only to have her train of thought to vanish on her tongue.

“ _Sss…_ ” the snake said, soothingly.  The colorful eyes began brighter and larger.  “ _Do not think, my child.  Allow yourssself to let go…_ ”

Amazed by the twin rainbows swirling before her, Sofia let her tongue become idle.

“ _Your body relaxesss deeply…_ ” observed the snake.  “ _It ressspondsss to my voice, yesss?_ ”

“…yes…” Sofia heard herself mumble.

“ _Yesss…_ ” The eyes grew even larger, swallowing Sofia’s entire field of vision.  The twisting colors looped around again and again, calling to her.  Nothing else mattered.

“ _Tell me your name, my child,_ ” the eyes commanded.  The words were spoken quietly, yet they descended onto Sofia’s thoughts like thick fog.  She had to respond.

“Sofia,” the girl responded.  Her voice sounded weak.

“ _Sssofia,_ ” the great eyes murmured.  “ _I am Chạ̀wrāynạk.  Do you know that name?_ ”

 _It sounds… vaguely familiar,_ Sofia thought.  But at the moment, she could remember nothing.

“ _I am Chạ̀wrāynạk,_ ” the voice said again, dominating Sofia’s mind.  “ _I am your massster._   _You cannot resssissst, can you?  You are now… my ssslave…_ ”

And with those words, the last of Sofia’s free will dissolved.  A wonderful feeling of peace, of surrender, swept over her mind.  Her own thoughts vanished in a single, joyful **_pop!_**   A ghostly smile spread across her face.

“I am your slave,” she murmured aloud.  Her voice was small but clear.

“ _Yesss…!_ ” the eyes purred.  “ _Yesss, you will obey…  You will obey my every whim and desssire…_ ”

Sofia was so happy.

*****


	4. Why Don’t You Kill Her?

Under the snake’s control, Sofia felt as if she living within a dream, a great, powerful, colorful dream.  Her own thoughts seemed faded, even silenced.  An artificial joy filled her mind.

She no longer had any desires of her own.  But when Chạ̀wrāynạk spoke to her, the serpent’s voice filled her head.  Sofia wanted to do nothing but to do what he told her to do, to say, or believe.  She was a brainwashed puppet, completely under the sway of the magic in those great eyes.  She would obey without question.

Chạ̀wrāynạk ordered Sofia to shed the remainder of her clothes.  Soon she was standing nude in the jungle alongside Hicks.

“ _Excellent,_ ” complimented the snake, casting a predatory look over Sofia’s athletic body.  She smiled back.

The python turned east, deeper into the jungle.  Hicks and Sofia followed the creature mindlessly, not speaking or even looking about.  They walked with their arms at their sides, their vacant eyes staring forward, both wearing passive smiles.

Normally, a nude human walking through the deep jungle would be scratched by the undergrowth, pricked by thorns, and their feet would suffer on the jagged rocks or cruel roots.  But the snake’s magic extended over his two entranced slaves, and the women walked forward without injury or care.  It was as if they were strolling across an open, sunny field without a care in the world.

*****

Deep in the heart of the jungle, an ancient temple lay beneath an uncharted river.  This temple predated Phechr Palace by centuries.  While it was only a few miles from the palace, a powerful enchantment had ensured that no human had ever found it.  King Chakrii and his people had never suspected it existed at all.

The great snake glided through the temple doors, his newest slaves obediently following.  Inside, the temple was one massive chamber, and a bustle of activity.  The upper platforms had been converted into a pleasure palace, complete with lavish cloth beds and dining tables of fine oak.  Here, beautiful nude women were in attendance, happy to welcome their master back from the jungle.

The lower levels were entirely different.  Below were caverns and mines, where strong men labored tirelessly with picks and axes and shovels.  The dug into deep the earth, seeking something buried far, far below.  Other men worked tools as carpenters or barrel-makers.  Still others were repairing the ancient temple, restoring its former glory.  Everyone worked.

Of course, all humans here were under the hypnotic thrall of Chạ̀wrāynạk, the great snake-lord.  One-by-one, they’d been mesmerized by his magic eyes, hopelessly enslaved to his great will.  Once a person fell under his spell, there was no escape.  They were his until he worked them to death.

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk slithered up into his bedchambers, a vast, open space atop his palace.  From here, he could look down and survey the entire temple.

The reptile’s body began to convulse and contract, altering into a smaller shape.  The snakeskin faded, becoming softer human flesh.  Two arms and two legs appeared, and the serpent’s head retracted and became rounder.  Soon Chạ̀wrāynạk had transformed into his human form, a shape he could only maintain for an hour or so.

As a man, Chạ̀wrāynạk was tall, very tall.  His body was muscle-packed, the frame of an athlete and warrior combined.  A broad chest flexed before two massive shoulders.  His arms were strong and cord-like; his legs thicker and tougher than tree trunks.  The snake-lord’s head was entirely bald.  He wore no clothing.

Sighing and hissing with contentment, Chạ̀wrāynạk stretched out on a wide mattress, overlaid with silk.  Aware of the luxuries that the modern world had to offer, the snake-lord commonly sent his hypnotized warriors out to steal what he desired; the silk was his latest prize.  He loved how it felt against his course skin.

The demigod looked over his domain, noting how each slave was hard at work, doing his bidding.  The tunnel-diggers were near exhaustion, he realized.  Soon they would die.  That was inconvenient; he would have to travel south and capture more.  The human villages were beginning to guard against him, which meant he’d have to travel further than before to obtain his stock.

No matter; he was patient.  He would prevail.

Sighing, the snake-lord rolled over, inspecting his two newest slaves.  Hicks and Sofia stood at his bed, silently awaiting his bidding.

“ _Come_ ,” he growled, gesturing to Sofia.  She climbed onto the bed and approached him.

Chạ̀wrāynạk liked this Sergeant Hicks quite a lot; a woman who was also a warrior!  Who would have thought of such nonsense?

But this Sofia… she intrigued the snake-lord.  Her body was lean yet muscular, beautiful yet plain.  He’d never seen a human with such light and soft skin before.  It was as if he had captured an angel to be his slave.

At Chạ̀wrāynạk’s bidding, Sofia crawled closer.  The snake-lord placed one appreciative hand on her back, and she arched her spine.  He admired her supple muscles.

“ _How do you make your body thisss thin yet ssstrong?_ ” he murmured in amazement.

“I exercise and run, master,” Sofia moaned.

This made little sense to the demigod.  “ _Run?  From whom?_ ”

“My people run for enjoyment, master,” said the hypnotized woman.  “I do it daily.  It keeps me thin but shapes my body in pleasurable ways.”

“ _Pleasssurable waysss…_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed appreciatively.  He rose up on his knees, positioning Sofia on all fours before him.  Then both of his strong hands began probing her body.

Sofia’s buttocks fascinated the perverted snake-lord.  He’d always lusted after beautiful women, of course, but he’d never seen a rear end like Sofia’s.  Jungle women had small but round behinds, cushy and jiggly.  Sofia’s was firm, very firm.  Chạ̀wrāynạk marveled how he could squeeze it and feel the taught muscle beneath the skin push back.

Like a child experimenting with a new toy, the snake-lord rotated his hand, sliding it down Sofia’s spine and inserting it between her buttocks.  It delighted him to feel her muscles squeeze back.  He pushed on, rounding her tailbone, brushing her anus, and then sliding forwards towards her genitalia.

Sofia, immobilized by his will, gasped.  She squeezed her eyes tight.

Chạ̀wrāynạk pushed two fingers up against the outside of Sofia’s vagina.  She was dry… but he could change that.

All in good time.  There was so much to explore.

With his free hand, the snake-lord gripped Sofia by the back of the neck, pushing her shoulders down towards the mattress.  But his other hand remained inside her butt.  This forced her into a prostrate position, her head and arms on the silk sheets, but her hips high in the air.

Enjoying a streak of cruelty, Chạ̀wrāynạk pushed Sofia’s shoulders down, harder.  The young archeologist was nearly smothered in the soft fabric.  At the same time, the snake-lord’s fingers wormed deeper into her vagina, exploring with an aggressive curiosity.  When he was an inch or so in, he began stroking.

Sofia whimpered and struggled a little.  Despite her hypnotized state, she was a little anxious.

“ _Ssssshhh…_ ” hissed Chạ̀wrāynạk, loving the mental and physical power he had over this young woman.  “ _Relax…  You will feel pleasssure, my child, you will feel pleasssure…_ ”

And at this command, Sofia’s vagina fell under his power.  She began to feel a faint orgasm take root, deep inside her, right under his gentle fingers.  It was as if his touch had created a new, powerful G-spot, **_right there_**.  As she gasped, her pleasure began to slowly flower.

“Nnnngh…” she mumbled into the satin.

Chạ̀wrāynạk held her shoulders in a grip of stone while he stroked her even faster.  She was wet now, and rapidly growing even wetter.  Her legs began to tense as the orgasm grew in intensity.

Sofia’s heart began to race.  Her fingers curled, gripping the satin.  Her feet trembled.  Whenever Sofia orgasmed, her toes always lit up with wild delight.  She could feel them respond now.  If the man stimulating her had been a boyfriend and not her master, she might have hoped for a toe-sucking.

“ _Good…!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed, surprised at how much he was enjoying himself.  Usually he fucked his pleasure-slaves, then cast them aside once he was satisfied.  He’d never cared if his female companions climaxed.  Why should he?  They were there for his amusement, weren’t they?

But this Sofia… this lily-white creature, she was different.  Her body was so different than any other woman.  The more he gazed at her lean form, the more delighted he was.

The archeology student groaned and began to thrash about.  While Chạ̀wrāynạk was arousing her, she was not near climax.  No, not even close.  In fact, the snake-lord’s fingers were starting to torture; too much pleasure all at once.  She couldn’t cum like this.

But Chạ̀wrāynạk just stroked Sofia harder.  Despite mesmerizing and seducing literally hundreds of jungle girls, the snake-lord had never once tried to finger a woman to orgasm.  He was surprised to realize: he didn’t know how to complete the task.

But no matter.  Chạ̀wrāynạk controlled the mind of all of his slaves.  He would simply hypnotize her to climax.

The muscular demigod released Sofia’s shoulders.  “ _Roll onto your back,_ ” he growled.

Sofia twisted on the mattress, taking great care to swivel about the two fingers still in her vagina.  Coarsely, Chạ̀wrāynạk forced her hips onto the mattress.  Then he lowered himself onto her belly.  His two fingers kept stroking.

“ _Look at me…_ ” the snake-lord demanded, his eyes already swirling with hypnotic colors.

Sofia glanced up and was instantly snared by his gaze.  The great eyes held her spellbound.  She couldn’t look away.

“ _Now…_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk commanded, “ _you will surrender to me completely.  Asss you do, you will know pleasssure, such physssical pleasssure.  Do you underssstand?_ ”

“Yes master,” Sofia breathed.  She couldn’t think.

The demigod withdrew his fingers, shifted his hips, and then his rigid cock was sliding into Sofia, quickly and with great power.  As she was pumped, Sofia’s mind was swept away into Chạ̀wrāynạk’s powerful hypnotism.  Her thoughts went blank as the desire to obey her master overrode all other considerations.

And Chạ̀wrāynạk found himself even more aroused than usual.  Oh, it always excited him when a beautiful young woman fell under his spell, disrobed at his command, and allowed him to fuck her.  But dominating Sofia gave him a special, perverse pleasure.  She was a rare treasure.

The snake-lord fucked harder.  His hips became a blur as his arousal increased.  Deeper he plunged into Sofia, faster and harder with each thrust.  His cock, of course, was magically-enhanced, and as he lost control, it kept growing in size and power.  Sofia had never been fucked like this.

And then Chạ̀wrāynạk came, exploding with happiness within Sofia’s vagina.  His eyes sent a powerful command deep into Sofia, and instantly, she was cumming too.  Her mouth opened with wordless delight as the orgasm washed over her body, licking the inside of her legs like a greedy lover.  Her muscles convulsed.  Her legs kicking, Sofia felt her brain alight with feelings she’d never dare imagine before.

*****

Master and slave fucked one another for far longer than mere mortals should be able to enjoy an orgasm.  Chạ̀wrāynạk’s climax simply kept going, prolonged by a lust he had never tasted before.  The snake-lord was in awe of the sexual power his newest slave had over **_him!_**

But finally the ecstasy faded.  With a hiss-like sigh, the snake-lord crumbled on top of Sofia, heaving for breath.  So stunned was his mind, that he failed to notice he was still rammed deep inside her.

Sofia, meanwhile, was barely collecting her wits.  Sex with Chạ̀wrāynạk had pushed her mind into an entirely different understanding of the universe.  She literally felt as if her brains had been blasted out and scattered about the heavens.  Trembling, she wrapped both arms around Chạ̀wrāynạk’s shoulders.  It was a struggle to catch her breath.

The two lay there for a while, simply breathing in great gasps.

Chạ̀wrāynạk then moved his hips, pulling out of Sofia.  With a long groan, he rolled off her, and onto his back.  Sofia instinctively snuggled against him.  He wrapped her in his muscle-bound arms.

“ _Marvelousss,_ ” the snake-lord hissed, pleased.

Sofia smiled.  Not the trance smile.  A real smile, shining up from her contented soul.

“Do I make you happy, master?” she asked, without thinking.

Chạ̀wrāynạk’s smirk faded.  He considered the question.  “ _No,_ ” he said at last.

“No?” Sofia replied, not offended.

“ _No,_ ” sighed the snake-man.  He paused, his thoughts traveling back.

“ _There once wasss a woman,_ ” he said softly.  “ _Ssso beautiful.  Ssshe and I were nearly loversss.  Long ago.  Only ssshe would make me happy._ ”

Sofia frowned, unoffended.  “She must have been wonderful, master.”  The hypnotized archeologist ran a finger over the snake-lord’s broad chest.  “Tell me about her?”

Chạ̀wrāynạk frowned, wondering why he kept talking.  It was as if the sex had loosened his tongue.

“ _Sshe was the Princessssss Anong,_ ” he murmured, looking back through the ages.  “ _I’d never seen sssuch a beautiful face.  But for all her luxury, her life was hard.  Her father, blah!  Her father cared little for her.  Ssshe longed to essscape the world which trapped her._ ”

“She loved you?” Sofia asked.

“ _I do not know,_ ” admitted Chạ̀wrāynạk.  “ _But I would have moved worldsss for her._ ”

Sofia nodded, understanding the feeling.  “And then she died.”

“ _No!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk snarled.  “ _No, ssshe didn’t die.  Ssshe was taken from me.”_

“Taken?”

“ _By my missstressssss,_ ” growled the demigod.  “ _The cursssed one._ ”

Sofia winced.  “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

There was a silence.

“Why don’t you kill her, master?” Sofia asked, matter-of-factly.

Normally, the young student would never casually suggest murder.  But in her hypnotized state, Sofia’s mind was free-associating without regard to what was and wasn’t appropriate.  She spoke with complete abandon.

If Chạ̀wrāynạk was surprised by his docile slave’s curiosity, he made no indication.  “ _The queen ssspendsss centuriesss sssleeping,_ ” he rumbled in anger.  “ _Deep within the earth, I believe.  The ancientssss had a sssaying:_

 

      _Under roots, under stone_

_Under earth, under bone_

_Down beneath what labyrinth keeps_

_Lies the bed where she-queen sleeps_

 

A realization dawned in Sofia.  “That is why the male slaves dig,” she murmured.  “You want to find her resting place… and kill her.”

“ _Her resssting place is deep under this temple,_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk grunted.  “ _But the ssslaves have been digging for centuriesss.  We have found only her firssst chamber…_ ”  The snake-lord exhaled angrily.  “ _…but then nothing beyond.  Sssome powerful magic mussst protect her._ ”

“ _But that is partly why I enssslaved you, Sssofia,_ ” the snake-lord added, stretching his body on the mattress.  “ _To kill her, I mussst firssst find her.  It wasss once sssaid… only one who readsss the ancient tongue can find her.  I thought I would never find sssuch a perssson… until your Sssergeant Hicksss told me of you._ ”

Chạ̀wrāynạk smiled absently, gazing at the temple ceiling.  “ _You will help me find her, Sssofia,_ ” he said casually.  “ _After centuriesss of digging fruitlessssssly, you will allow me to sssucceed.  I can sssenssse it._ ”

Sofia nodded.  Her hypnotized mind not really comprehending what her master was saying.  “The queen must be a powerful being,” she commented.

“ _Ssshe is only vulnerable when in ssslumber,_ ” growled Chạ̀wrāynạk.  “ _I would need a fearsssome weapon to ssstrike her down.  That isss a ssserious problem,_ ” he added sadly.

“You could use the satellite weapon,” Sofia suggested.  “I don’t know what it is, exactly, but it must be powerful.”

The snake-lord cocked his head.  “ _Eh?_ ”

“The whole reason I was sent into this jungle,” Sofia confessed, “was to help retrieve this weapon.  My people fear that it could be used for evil.”

Immediately, Chạ̀wrāynạk twisted his head to stare at Sofia.  His hypnotic eyes began swirling.  “ _Tell me everything,_ ” he hissed.

Sofia, held in the power of the snake-lord’s gaze, felt her thoughts vanish completely.  She obediently told Chạ̀wrāynạk of Colonel Forrestal’s satellite, of her suspicions that the device was really a horrible weapon of some kind, and of the desperate mission to locate it.

“ _Thisss sssatellite…_ ” hissed Chạ̀wrāynạk, intensifying his magic on Sofia.  “ _It can dessstroy anything, yesss?_ ”

Sofia mindlessly replied:  “If it is what I believe it to be, yes.”

“ _Ahhh…_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk rumbled.  “ _You know how to ussse it?_ ”

“No master,” the entranced Sofia responded.  “But there is one in our party who does.”

*****

Far out in the jungle, Grace, Emily, and Wyatt were about to kill one another.  It had been several hours since Sofia had up and vanished, and the remaining three were exhausted, starved, and frightened.  Emily and Wyatt wanted to retreat to the Rạ̀w T̄hạng; Grace refused to tell them in which direction the ship was.

“We can’t turn back!” Grace half-snarled, half-pleaded.  The sheer pressure of this mission was simply too great.  Emily and Wyatt weren’t trained for such adventures, and neither was Grace, truth be told.  She longed to be somewhere else.  Anywhere else.

“Can’t you call Colonel Forrestal **_now?_** ” Emily whined.  The three were paused, leaning against a giant rubber tree, sweating and aching all over.  Everyone’s feet hurt.

Grace sighed.  Yes.  Forrestal.  The Colonel was no doubt in a chopper already, looking for his lost team.  They’d suffered so much.  Even though the mercenaries were still out there… it was worth the risk.

The CIA woman unslung her backpack, hauling out the portable radio.  After fiddling with the dials, she spoke into the receiver: “Delta Two-Seven-One, this is Wanderer, come back please?  This is Wanderer.”  She paused, then repeated the message.

Nothing.  No reply.

“Try again,” demanded Emily.

Grace did so.  This time, the speaker crackled in response.

“Yes!” Wyatt crowed.

But the voice on the other end was not Forrestal’s.  A man’s voice, yes, but deeper and more forceful.  It spoke in an unfamiliar language, talking rapidly.

“Fuck!” Grace cried, snapping off the transmitter.

The mercenaries were close, closer than Grace feared.  And possibly on top of the satellite.

“Jesus Christ,” Grace gasped, a sense of dread and urgency sweeping over her once more.  “Com’on, guys, we’ve gotta-“

“Grace,” Wyatt said, sharply.

The CIA woman followed Wyatt’s stare.  Stepping out from the thick jungle foliage were brown men, local tribesmen.  Each were nude, and each held a spear.

“Oh my God,” Emily exclaimed in alarm.  The tribesmen were all about, closing in from all sides.  They were surrounded.

“Okay, calm down!” Grace snapped at the two graduate students.  Inside, she was panicking… but she knew enough to hide her fear.  If only she could get to the pistol at the bottom of her pack…

As the hostiles approached, Grace noted how each of the men seemed… well, almost tranquilized.  They gazed forward without focusing their eyes.  Weird smiles hung on their faces.

“The heck?” Wyatt said, realizing that the tribesmen were almost docile.  “Are… these guys high or something?”

“ _Sssilence…!_ ” a rich, silken voice said, high above them.

Then, to Grace’s astonishment, an enormous black snake lowered its head from the trees above them.  It moved slowly, but with determined intent.

“ ** _Oh my God…!_** ” Emily half-screamed.

“ _There isss nothing to fear,_ ” the snake said, amazingly able to speak.  “ _You are all sssafe with me.  Sssafe…_ ”

Grace, exhausted and too frightened to think straight, could only stare as the serpent approached her.

“ _Look at me,_ ” the creature implored her.  “ _Look closssely…_ ”

Grace gazed into the thing’s great eyes, which were already changing colors.  She was immediately lost.

*****

Less than five miles to the north, the mercenaries were pressing through the thick jungle.

Their commander, an experienced combat veteran named Chaltan, paused to wipe his brow and check his tracker.  The American satellite was nearby… he thought.  The actual homing signal was encrypted and intermittent, which kept confusing his gear.  Still, it seemed he and his men were making progress.

Chaltan paused to look over his team.  Twenty men, all drawn from campaigns around the world, surrounded him.  Each was a remorseless killer.  So far, they had carried out their mission with admirable discipline, considering they were not prone to teamwork.

But the leader sensed an uneasiness in his troops.  The Americans, despite being caught off-guard, had evaded him.  This mission was never supposed to have extended for this long.  If the satellite wasn’t recovered soon, their temperamental employer would balk at paying their fee… and then Chaltan would have a mutiny on his hands.

He grimaced, tucked the tracker into his belt, and pressed on.

*****


	5. This is a Labyrinth, Master

Once Grace was hypnotized, it was child’s play for Chạ̀wrāynạk to locate the satellite.  Her tracker pinpointed the crash site, and the snake-lord had plenty of strong slaves to retrieve it.  He commanded the slaves to carry it back into the temple, where it was placed at the center of his pleasure palace.

“This is the satellite’s outer shell, master,” Grace explained, her voice light and almost carefree.  With her mind clouded by Chạ̀wrāynạk’s magic, she felt none of the pressure of her mission.  She spoke freely, telling the snake-lord anything he wanted to know.  She stood before him now, naked, willing to do anything he commanded.

Chạ̀wrāynạk, in his snake form, loomed over her, listening intently.

“Inside the shell,” Grace continued, smiling sweetly, “are the weapons.”

“ _Explain,_ ” commanded Chạ̀wrāynạk.

“If my country were to go to war, this satellite – and hundreds of others like it – are designed to fly over an enemy target.  Once in position, they drop from the sky.  Each satellite carries two nuclear devices, one primary and a backup.”

“ _There are_ **two** _weaponsss?_ ” the snake-lord exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.  “ _Ssshow me._ ”

Men-slaves stepped forward with tools.  While Grace directed their activity, they chipped away at the satellite’s casing.

Chạ̀wrāynạk waited patiently.  Attending the snake-lord were a naked Hicks, Emily, and Sofia, each smiling inside their trances.  Wyatt had been mesmerized too, of course, but he was off laboring in the deep mines.  Only women attended the master.

The outer casing of the satellite was unlocked, then pried open.  Resting inside were two gleaming metal cylinders, each about two feet tall and nine inches wide.

“ _Ahhh…!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed in delight.

Grace accessed the satellite’s panels, tapping in the release codes.  Clamps retracted, freeing the two deadly containers.  “These are XL-438’s, master,” she explained.  “Very limited range, but highly destructive.  Technically, these are warheads, although I don’t know if you could connect them on missiles.”

“ _Remove them,_ ” ordered Chạ̀wrāynạk.

With skilled fingers, Grace pushed aside the holding clamps, disconnected the charge cables, and then lifted the devices from the gutted satellite.  Each device was remarkably lightweight; the latest in US weapons technology.

The snake-lord nodded, pleased.

“The weapons are yours to use, master,” Grace said conversationally.  Still hypnotized, she had little awareness of the gravity of what she was saying.  “Each has their own detonator.  Now you simply need to find the snake-queen.”

Chạ̀wrāynạk rounded on Sofia.

“ _It is time,_ ” he smiled evilly, “ _for you to fulfil your dessstiny._ ”

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk, Sofia, and a male slave carrying one of the nuclear devices descended deep into the temple.  They passed through the mines, but took no notice of the mentally enslaved diggers toiling away about them.  Sofia and Wyatt passed one another, but neither recognized the other.

And then, Chạ̀wrāynạk led Sofia to an ancient staircase, cut into solid rock, descending downward.

“ _Thisss leads to the sssnake-queen’sss firssst chamber,_ ” the snake-lord growled.  “ _However, we cannot dig within it.  Come._ ”

Sofia took a lit torch from a wall mount, and then Chạ̀wrāynạk led her and the male slave down the wide staircase.  At the bottom, there was a vast, circular room, seemingly carved out of black rock.  There were human bones embedded in this evil stone.  All around the chamber walls were black arches, each capped by a gray keystone.  Each arch was decorated with elaborate letters in the ancient Lanamari script.  And through each arch, there was another staircase, heading downward.

“ _Sssomehow she liesss beyond one of thessse passssssagesss,_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed in frustration.  “ _I have exxxplored them all; none lead anywhere._ ”

The giant snake swung its massive head around to glare at Sofia.  “ _Now,_ ” he growled, “ _I have foressseen that you will lead me to her.  How do I proceed?_ ”

Sofia faltered.  The magic spell she was under compelled her to obey the every whim of the snake-lord.  But with her conscious mind tranquilized, she had no ability to reason.  She didn’t understand what Chạ̀wrāynạk was asking of her.

“I…” she said helplessly.  “…master?”

“ _How do I reach her, ssslave?_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk snarled, his voice rising. _“Explain._ ”

Baffled, Sofia gazed back wordlessly.

Chạ̀wrāynạk’s reptilian face twisted in rage.  “ _Ussselessssss!_ ” he hissed in rage.  Then, with a furious shriek, his great tail lashed out.  Sofia was sent flying across the chamber.

She landed, crumpled against the black stone wall.  At the same time, her torch fell next to her.  For a split second, the flames licked her body.

She screamed in raw pain, bucking instinctively in agony.  The torch was kicked away.

“ _Sssssss…!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk growled, ignoring her.  The giant python began slithering around the chamber, fuming.

Sofia blinked.  She stared down at her hands.  Her mind was reeling.

In that flash of fire and pain, Chạ̀wrāynạk’s spell over her had broken!  Sofia was no longer hypnotized.  Her mind was free and clear.  Her thoughts were her own.  She could control her own body.  She was mentally free!

Sofia sucked in a breath, her heart racing.  Becoming released from Chạ̀wrāynạk’s magic was like seeing the world in complete colors after only knowing dull grays.  Emotions that had been frozen become unstuck.

The archeologist’s mind raced.  Memories flooded her thoughts.  She forced them all aside for the moment.

Could she escape?  The staircase back up to the mines was just a few feet away.  If she ran-

No.  Chạ̀wrāynạk was too fast.  He’d catch her without much effort.  She’d be re-hypnotized… or worse, eaten.

No, she had to trick the demigod, somehow.  But… how?!?

Her mind racing, Sofia glanced about her.  This deathlike chamber was black and grim, but those gray keystones… whomever had designed this place had made the keystones lighter and prominent for a reason.

Yes…

 ** _Yes!_**   She understood now.

Thinking quickly, the graduate student devised a plan, a quick plan to escape Chạ̀wrāynạk’s evil clutches forever.  It would require giving the snake-lord what he wanted, at least in the short term.  But she could see no other path forward.

Sofia then did the bravest thing she would ever do in her entire life.  Struggling to control her breathing, she rose up, pretending to still be hypnotized.  Still naked, she felt utterly defenseless.

“Master,” she said, hoping she sounded mindless.  “I understand.  Please forgive me for-“

Chạ̀wrāynạk slithered to glower into Sofia’s face.  “ _Tell me how to find the queen,_ ” he demanded, his voice harsh and threatening.

 _If he uses his hypno-powered on me, I’m so fucked,_ Sofia thought in terror.  Staring straight ahead, she was forced to look directly into the snake’s pupils.  Her stomach flipped.

But she forced herself to continue the performance of obedient slave.

“This is a labyrinth, master,” she explained tonelessly.  “Remember the ancients’ saying?  _Under roots, under stone / Under earth, under bone / Down beneath what labyrinth keeps / Lies the bed where she-queen sleeps_.”

As she spoke, the grey keystones shimmered, as if made of water.  Their surfaces contorted.  Then a single hieroglyphic appeared on each.

“ _Sssss…!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk exhaled in wonder.

Sofia pointed at the closest keystone.  “That one means ‘Ocean,’” she said calmly.  “And that one is ‘Moon.’”  She continued pointing.  “And then ‘Horse,’ then ‘Valley.’”

Feeling more confident, Sofia moved to stand before the next arch.  “This one,” she translated, “is ‘ ** _Roots_**.’”

At her words, the staircase under the Roots keystone suddenly glowed with a ghostly orange light.  It was as if unseen fires had been lit.

Chạ̀wrāynạk made a pleased sound.  “ _Under rootsss…_ ” he murmured, finally understanding.

“The queen is this way,” Sofia said matter-of-factly, and turned to descend the stairs.

*****

At the bottom of the second staircase appeared a second chamber, identical to the first.

“ _Thisss room…  It wasss not here before!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk exclaimed in disbelief.

Sofia recited the ancient text again, and once more activated the keystones.  She quickly found the one marked “Stone,” which in turn illuminated the path down to a third chamber.

In this manner, the ultimate passage to the queen – under “Roots,” under “Stone,” under “Earth,” and finally under “Bone” – was laid bare.  The magic surrounding the snake-queen was old and powerful; there was no way to penetrate her defenses without following the correct sequence.

*****

At the end of this journey was a final crypt.  This chamber contained a great sarcophagus, carved from harsh black stone.  Runes covered its surface, but these were so ancient that not even Sofia could guess their meaning.

Chạ̀wrāynạk circled the black casket, carefully studying it with evil glares.  “ _Ssshe sssleepsss inssside!_ ” he hissed quietly, his excitement evident.  “ _Ahhh…!  At last, at last…!_ ”

The great snake ordered that the nuclear device be set at the base of the sarcophagus.  “ _Exxxcellent,_ ” he growled.  Turning to Sofia, he said cruelly, “ _Ssslave, you will remain here for one hour.  Then, you will activate the weapon and ensure it exxxplodesss.  Do you underssstand?_ ”

 _Oh fuck me!_ Sofia thought.

The archeology student swallowed her fear.  “Master,” she said, hoping she sounded indifferent, “you may need me to return to the temple.  We can trigger the bomb with Grace’s detonator from up there.”

The giant python flicked his tongue in thought.  “ _Perhapsss…_ ” he mused.  “ _Very well.  We withdraw.  But if your idea failsss, you will return here to carry out my wissshesss, yesss…?_ ”

“Yes master,” Sofia gulped.

*****

The journey back to the temple was effortless, although Sofia noted how the path behind them vanished as they ascended.  The ancient magic was at work, obscuring the queen.

Soon the snake-lord, Sofia, and the male slave were back in the temple, on the ground level, just above the mines.  All the slaves stopped what they were doing, and stood about, mindlessly staring forward.

“Now,” Chạ̀wrāynạk ordered Grace, who held a detonator in her hand.

Sofia closed her eyes, hoping this worked.

There was a soft click as Grace pressed the detonation button.  Everyone felt a rumbling, deep within the earth, and the walls of the temple briefly shook.  Outside, a flock of birds raced into the skies, cawing in alarm.

And then…

Nothing.

*****

“Sir!”

The mercenaries halted as one.  All eyes swung to Phontu, the team’s nuclear materials specialist.

Phontu was studying his detector with disbelief.

“What?” barked Chaltan, using their native language.

“A detonation, sir!” Phontu replied.  “Only…”

He frowned at his device, punching buttons.

“Tell me,” demanded Chaltan.  A detonation!  Were they about to be irradiated?

“This can’t be right,” Phontu shook his head.  “Readings indicate one warhead has been detonated… but deep underground, sir.”

The commander frowned, scratching his chin.  Only one warhead?  What about the other one?  Were the Americans disassembling the satellite?

There was no choice but to press on.  Even if both nuclear devices were lost, their employer would still demand the death of every last American.

“Which direction?” he asked Phontu.

The little man pointed, already priming his weapon.  “One kilometer, sir.”

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed to himself, looking in all directions, his black tongue rapidly flicking in and out of his mouth.  He seemed to be straining his ears.

“ _No,_ ” he growled.  “ _No, no…!_ ”

Sofia forced herself to stand perfectly still, her eyes blank, her smile hallow.  Without direction from the snake-lord, all of the slaves were motionless.  She had to act like all the others until Chạ̀wrāynạk was distracted.

The giant reptile began to slither back and forth, pacing the temple.  His agitation grew.

And then there was a low-pitched rumbling, at first too soft to be properly heard.  The strange sound grew in intensity and pitch, and it was **_angry_**.

The temple stones began to vibrate.  Mesmerized slaves, dimly realizing something was wrong, looked about.  Chạ̀wrāynạk tensed his great body, ready to be attacked.

Sofia was terrified.

Suddenly the earth floor of the temple exploded, dirt showering in all directions.  A roar of fury and hatred shattered the air.  All the humans were knocked back, some thrown clear in the air.  Sofia was flung into Emily and Hicks, who had been standing behind her.

“ ** _YOU DARE?!?_** ” a horrible, screeching voice bellowed.  “ ** _YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?!?_** ”

From a great crater in the bare earth, a hideous black form was rising up.  The snake-queen had arisen.

*****

Sofia didn’t wait any longer.  She turned and ran.

Her bare feet, no longer protected by magic, stung as they pounded stone and earth.  But Sofia’s terror caused her to fly as fast as she could.  If she had any hope of escaping, this had to be the moment.

Behind her, animal cries were splitting the air, loud and vicious.  It sounded like Chạ̀wrāynạk was engulfed in a titanic battle.

As she sprinted for the temple door, Sofia saw a green bag lying on the ground.  Grace’s backpack!

A burst of inspiration seized the young student.  She snatched the bag, pawing through its contents.  Didn’t Grace mention she carried a pistol in here?  But the firearm was not to be found.

Instead, Sofia unearthed a green box.  Grace’s radio!  The device crackled.

“ _Wanderer, this is Delta Two-Seven-One, are you out there?  Over,_ ” the speaker said. 

It was Colonel Forrestal’s voice!

Her fingers a blur, Sofia fumbled at the buttons.

“Hello?” she cried, desperate.  “Hello, colonel?  Are you there?”

“ _I’m here, I’m here!_ ” the electric voice replied.  “ _Jesus, is that you, Grace?  What the fuck-_ “

Behind Sofia, the sounds of the animal battle grew louder and more violent.

“Its Sofia Hapsburg, sir!!!” the student shouted, hoping the colonel remembered who she was.  “I’m here, we’re all here!  Can you get us?”

*****

Less than a quarter-mile away, Chaltan’s comm man put a hand to his earpiece.  “Radio transmission, sir!” he shouted.

The mercenaries were just outside the temple.  Their commander nodded grimly.

“We move in,” Chaltan said grimly, releasing the safety on his weapon.

*****

Colonel Forrestal’s voice was anxious.  “ _Sofia?  Where are you?_ ”

“I’m…” Sofia said helplessly, looking around the interior of the temple.  How to describe her position to Forrestal?  “Are you in the helicopter, sir?”

From behind Sofia, a wild shriek and a creature’s scream burst through the air.  Chạ̀wrāynạk was locked in a terrible battle.

“ _Affirmative, Sofia.  Jesus, what’s that noise behind you?!?_ ”

“Colonel, please listen!” yelled Sofia.  “There is a ruined city and a palace off the river!  Can you find that?”

“ _We saw it, about ten miles back,_ ” replied the colonel.  “ _You’re near there?_ ”

“Close enough!” shouted Sofia, hoping she could be heard over the rage of combat.  “There’s a garden outside that ruined palace!” she shouted.  “I’ll meet you there!  Then I’ll show you how to reach the others!”

“ _Affirmative,_ ” the colonel told her.  “ _ETA: twenty minutes.  Hurry, radio chatter suggests that the hostiles are nearly-_ “

The radio suddenly exploded in a burst of static.

Sofia hurriedly switched the box off.  Her mind was racing.  She was fairly certain the ruins were to the east.  If she could get away…

*****

The moment the ground exploded beneath him, Chạ̀wrāynạk knew: all was lost.  The snake-queen lived.  She was not forgiving.

As the slaves were tossed away, the ancient earth-goddess rose up, wrapped in thick, black smoke.  Her fury radiated through the air.

“ ** _YOU DARE?!?_** ” she shrieked, her voice striking cold fear in Chạ̀wrāynạk’s bones.  “ ** _YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?!?_** ”

Although he was braced for battle, Chạ̀wrāynạk was knocked to the ground when the evil queen pounced.  Her jaws were already at his neck.

The snake-queen was as powerful as she was ancient.  She had walked the earth long before humans existed, and she knew an age’s worth of magic secrets.  She could appear as a beautiful woman, or a great python, or even as something more terrifying.

Now, incensed by Chạ̀wrāynạk’s treachery, she had become a demon.  Her body had vast wings, claws, and huge fangs inside a powerful set of jaws.  Evil black smoke rose from her body.  Her eyes glowed blood red in her rage-lust.  She reached to tear out the snake-lord’s throat.

Chạ̀wrāynạk cried out, his enormous tail whipping and thrashing in all directions.  He twisted, bucking the queen off him.  A second later, that tail lashed out, striking her in the center of her torso.  The queen flew across the ground, howling in fury.  Her hideous body crashed against the main entrance of the temple chamber.

Quickly pouncing, Chạ̀wrāynạk moved to pin her to the temple floor.

The queen hissed, struggling.  For all her tricks, Chạ̀wrāynạk was physically stronger.

“ _Ah, my love,_ ” she hissed, venom in her words, “ _you betray me ssso quickly!  Have you forgotten our arrangement?!?_ ”

Chạ̀wrāynạk pressed harder, desperately seeking to choke the life from the queen’s body.  In his mind, however, he knew this was useless.

The queen struck with her claws, slashing Chạ̀wrāynạk’s flank and drawing blood.  The snake-lord howled and withdrew.

Trembling with rage, the queen collected herself, rising up onto clawed feet.  “ _Foolisssh boy!_ ” she spat.  “ _You forget why you ssserve me, don’t you?_ ”

Inside, Chạ̀wrāynạk cringed.  He knew what the queen was about to say.

“ _Your preciousss Princessssss Anong,_ ” sneered the queen, her eyes blazing.  “ _Ssshe isss ssstill in my cussstody, no?  Perhapsss ssshe mussst_ **sssuffer** _for thisss outrage?_ ”

Chạ̀wrāynạk’s heart fell.  “ _No!_ ” he cried.

Centuries of scheming had failed.  With Anong as her hostage, the queen could force Chạ̀wrāynạk to do anything she wished.

“ _I ssshould kill her, and then you,_ ” the queen fumed.  “ _Ssslowly, yesss?!?_ ”

“ ** _No!_** ” begged Chạ̀wrāynạk, truly wretched now.

The she-goddess spat red fire, causing the snake-lord to jump.

“ _You are fortunate, my love,_ ” she seethed, “ _that I ssstill require you to fulfill the prophesssy.  And you will, oh, yesss, you will…_ ”

As she spoke, the snake-queen’s body transformed again.  Her wings and arms folded back into her flesh as she became a large, brown python.  She was not as large as Chạ̀wrāynạk, but still massive to behold.

“ _How,_ ” demanded the queen, still furious, “ _did you find me?_ ”

Chạ̀wrāynạk had no choice but to cower.  “ _A new ssslave, missstressssss.  A clever one.  Ssshe sssolved the riddle of your labyrinth._ ”

“ _A ssslave,_ ” the queen growled in contempt.  “ _A mortal?  Eh._ ”

The she-goddess began pacing the floor, casting wary glances about the temple.

“ _Thisss isss what you will do, my love,_ ” she hissed.  “ _You will find and kill thisss slave, do you underssstand me?  I want that ssslave’sss body._ ”

Chạ̀wrāynạk swallowed.  Across centuries, Sofia was the only mortal who had ever reasoned her way past the queen’s magic.  She was an asset not easily replaced.

But the wicked queen had already guessed Chạ̀wrāynạk’s hesitation.  “ _You will bring the body of thisss ssslave to me, my love,”_ she said, fury rising in her voice. _“Do not attempt to deceive me; I will know!  Now, bring this ssslave, or…_

She slithered directly to Chạ̀wrāynạk.

 _“…or Princessssss Anong diesss at sssunssset._ ”

*****

Chaltan and his mercenaries burst into the temple through the main entrance, guns ready.  They charged directly into the presence of the giant snakes.

Startled, the pythons reared up, hissing and tensing to strike.

The soldiers were cruel and ruthless killers, every last one.  In their years of bloody experience, they had slaughtered all sorts of human foes, soldiers and innocents alike.  The blood on their hands had made every last man feel invincible with a weapon.  Foolishly, they assumed nothing walked the earth that could challenge them.

Now all twenty men found themselves staring up in the blazing eyes of two enraged, two-hundred-feet long pythons.  The snakes roared.

“ ** _Jesus Christ!_** ” Phontu screamed, falling over himself to get away.

Three men opened fire out of sheer panic.  The snake-queen, being closer, bore the brunt of their assault.  Bullets wildly sprayed the air.

But mortal weapons merely stung the two snakes.  The gunfire only provoked their fury.

The snake-queen hissed, her rage consuming her.  With a vicious lunge, she attacked.  Phontu was instantly bitten in two.

“ ** _Fall back!_** ” Chaltan cried, hoping his men were listening.

And then the two snakes dove into the band of soldiers.

*****

Sofia jumped at the sound of gunfire.  The mercenaries!  They were here?!?

The archeology student quickly scanned the temple.  On the opposite side of the great chamber, the two giant snakes were attacking the black-clad soldiers.  Guns blazed.  The shouts of desperate men mixed with the snarls and roars of the two pythons.

 _Oh fuck,_ Sofia thought anxiously.

There was still one warhead left.  If the mercenaries defeated the snakes…

The young woman made a snap decision.  It was foolhardy, she knew.  But she couldn’t risk the weapons falling into the enemy’s hands.  What had Sergeant Hicks once said?

_Sometimes being an American is all about doing the right thing._

Wishing she felt braver, Sofia raced up into Chạ̀wrāynạk’s pleasure palace, quickly locating the second warhead.  The silver canister was cool to the touch, perhaps twenty pounds in her arms.  Hugging the death-weapon tightly, Sofia hurried back down to the temple floor.

She couldn’t possibly carry the warhead all the way to Phechr Palace like this.  Sofia bit her lip, thinking fast.

Grace’s backpack!  It was still lying on the ground, right where Sofia found it.  The graduate student gently set down the bomb, then emptied out the pack as quickly as possible.  The warhead barely fit inside.

Pausing just long enough to study the detonator, Sofia popped that into a side pocket, then slung the bag over her two narrow shoulders.  She was still naked, but there was nothing to be done about that; Chạ̀wrāynạk refused to let his slaves have clothes.

The backpack was heavy, but not crushing.

The battle between snake-gods and mercenaries were still raging.  A stray bullet zipped past Sofia, ricocheting away with a frightening **_ping!_**

Her adrenaline coursing, Sofia took a deep breath slipped out of the temple and into the jungle.  She had only a few minutes to reach the ruined city and Colonel Forrestal.

*****


	6. I’m Deadlier Than I Look

Chạ̀wrāynạk squeezed another mercenary, feeling the bones snap within his coils.  The man’s screaming was cut off with a sickening gurgle.

With disgust, the snake-lord dropped the limp body.  He eyed another victim, ready to strike, when distant motion caught his attention.

There, across the temple, was Sofia!  The slave was wearing something large on her back, and was racing out the far exit.

Chạ̀wrāynạk cursed.  How had that woman escaped his hypnosis?!?  No matter; she could be re-enslaved.  As soon as-

Bullets stabbed at the snake-lord’s side.  Another foolish soldier!  Spitting fury, Chạ̀wrāynạk rounded on the man.  Sofia could wait, if only for a few minutes.  She couldn’t get far.

*****

The thick jungle did the best it could to slow Sofia down, but the young archeologist hurried on.  She hopped over fallen trees, scampered up rocks, pushed through the dense undergrowth, and avoided the boggy patches.

At first, Sofia was afraid her bare feet and nudity would hinder her too much.  The jungle, after all, is an uncomfortable place, filled with sharp rocks, thistles, briars, thorns, and worse.

However, as she hurried, the young woman discovered an agility she never knew she had.  Most of the jungle floor was padded with moss or fallen leaves.  She discovered her bare feet easily connected with the earth, making for a relatively smooth journey.  Sofia had always wondered how native tribes were able to run about in such terrain in only loincloths; now she knew.

And as she broke into a healthy sweat, Sofia noticed that the moist air simply embraced her skin.  The miserable thing about being sweaty, really, is that your clothes become damp and cling to your body in unpleasant ways.  Sofia didn’t have clothes, so she didn’t have that problem.  Being naked was an advantage.

She pressed on, heading east.

*****

The soldiers were almost defeated.  They put up a desperate fight, but were no match for the old-world magic that opposed them.

Chạ̀wrāynạk hung back, catching his breath.  Sofia had escaped only a few minutes prior.  She had to be recaptured, if only to present her body to the snake-queen.

Another mercenary crumpled as the queen’s great tail smashed through the air, striking the man in the torso.  Stunned, he had no chance to flee before her jaws snapped about his body.

Chạ̀wrāynạk had seen enough.  Hissing furiously, the snake-lord turned and set out in pursuit of Sofia.

*****

The young archeology student pushed aside a clutch of philodendron leaves to suddenly find herself stepping into the abandoned gardens of Phechr Palace.  The ruined castle itself was a mere two hundred feet before her.

Grinning, Sofia hopped onto the worn earth, then hurried towards the shattered castle.  She strained her ears… but there was no hint of a helicopter.  Colonel Forrestal hadn’t arrived, not yet.

But he was on his way.  As long as the mercenaries couldn’t track her this far, Sofia was reasonably certain she was home free.

As she broke into a quick jog, she spotted the statue of the screaming young woman, still tucked away among the wild jasmine bushes.  Sofia sighed; it seemed like ages since she’d first laid eyes on that statue.

*****

Deep in the jungle, Chạ̀wrāynạk raced over the earth.  Sofia’s scent filled his nostrils.  The young woman had made impressive time, but she was no match for his speed.

The great snake flexed his jaws as he hurried.  Should he rehypnotize Sofia, or simply kill her immediately?  Under hypnosis, she could be made to surrender herself to the queen.

But, no.  The queen was already too incensed to Chạ̀wrāynạk’s treachery.  If he didn’t obey her to the letter, Anong might be lost.  Best to slaughter Sofia at once.

*****

Sofia allowed herself to slow down as she reached the palace.  She was huffing mightily, yet felt that satisfying deep muscle-ache she enjoyed from a particularly good workout.  Her legs, in particular, were feeling energized.

But the backpack was now cutting into her shoulders.  Sofia winced as she unslung it and then set it down gently in one of the palace corridors.

Sunlight was streaming down through the remains of the palace roof.  Sofia straightened, suddenly appreciating the stonework all about her.  The carvings in the rock!  So exquisite!

Despite the desperateness of her situation, despite her pounding heart and the sweat rolling off her body, Sofia the Academic couldn’t help but pause and admire.  Dr. Fordem would have been astonished to see these carvings.  Why, this alphabet might even be pre-Ghaintian!

Impressed, the young woman began to wander, peering at the ancient letters on the walls.

And so, she found herself back in the royal throne room.  In the bright sunlight, it felt more regal than before.  The great copper sword lay on the throne dais, right where Wyatt had discarded it.  The weapon glinted dully in the sun.

Sofia’s ears perked.  Was that…?

Yes!  A helicopter!

She rushed through a fallen wall, out into the open grounds.  Yes!  There it was!  A tiny black dot was above the southern horizon, approaching fast!

Sofia whooped aloud in sheer joy.  Rescue!  She foolishly hopped up and down, waving her arms.

No, this was silly.  The pilot was too far away yet, and besides, these ruins were huge.  It would take a while to spot her from the air.

But what if…

Inspiration seizing her, Sofia dashed back into the throne room, snatched the sword, and then returned to the open field.  The dull weapon was heavy, but by gripping the hilt tightly, Sofia could wield it well enough.

She held the sword high over her head, turning it back and forth.  The sunlight would glint off the blade, perfect for eyes searching from the sky.  Sofia grinned.

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk watched the young woman, holding that ridiculous sword high above her head.  What was she doing?  The snake-lord, who had been ready to pounce, hesitated.

Wait… what was that frightful noise?

The giant python flinched.  The thundering sound was coming from high above, and it was getting louder.  His inner ears trembled as an assault-like vibration began to shake his body.

… ** _Arg_** , it was agony!

Up in the skies, a strange, evil-looking metal beetle was approaching from the south, making all this commotion.  Sofia was staring at this thing intently, and Chạ̀wrāynạk realized she was somehow communicating with it!  Was this a bird to take her away?!?

 ** _No!_**   The snake-lord knew: if Sofia were to escape, Anong was doomed.

The vibrations grew stronger, and began to hurt.

*****

“ _There, sir!_ ” the helicopter pilot cried over the headset.

Colonel Forrestal, peering through the canopy, immediately spotted what his pilot saw.  There, down among the crumbling palace, was a flash of gold.  Something metal was catching and throwing the sun’s light.

“ _I see it,_ ” the colonel replied, whipping up his binoculars.  “ _How close can you get?_ ”

“ _We can set down in that garden, I think,_ ” the pilot said, already flipping control panel switches.

Sitting next to Colonel Forrestal was Captain Mick, recently rescued from the Rạ̀w T̄hạng.  Mick hadn’t been able to patch up the old vessel, so she would forever remain on the banks of the Pasaktu tributary.  But he had gotten the radio working.

“ _Only Sofia?_ ” Mick shouted into his headset microphone.  “ _Where’s the others?_ ”

“ _Good question,_ ” Forrestal grunted, squinting through his binoculars.  “ _And… Jesus Christ… is Sofia_ **naked?** ”

*****

Sofia whooped again in joy as the helicopter banked, now circling the palace ruins.  They’d seen her!

*****

At the same time, Chạ̀wrāynạk was in agony.  The throbbing air was torture on his sensitive snake-ears.

As Sofia yelled something in triumph, the demigod knew he was out of time.  The young woman had to be killed **_now_** , or all was lost.

*****

As Sofia turned to follow the helicopter with her eyes, a sudden rustle in the nearby bushes distracted her.  What the…?

With a fright, she realized something **_large_** was under the branches and leaves.  **_And leaping towards her!_**

The copper sword was still over her head.  Instinctively, Sofia swung.

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk roared as the gold-colored weapon crashed into his snout.  He recoiled, his massive body flailing.  Twigs and branches flew in all directions.

*****

“ ** _Holy fuck!_** ” shouted Forrestal.

He wasn’t sure what he’d just seen.  Sofia (who was definitely naked) had stepped back, then swung the great sword straight down.  At the same time, a creature… or something… had sprung towards her.  The blade had struck its target, and then it was like the whole jungle beneath him had erupted.  Trees, bushes, branches, and earth churned as what appeared to be the world’s most impossibly biggest snake roiled the foliage in all directions.  It was like watching the oceans boil.

A tree directly before the helicopter dangerously swung about.

“ ** _Shit!_** ” cried the pilot, yanking on the flight stick.

*****

Sofia backed away, holding up the sword with trembling arms.  Her senses were alive, her adrenaline lit.

Chạ̀wrāynạk was here, now!  How was that possible?

The enormous serpent thrashed about in pain.  He snapped his jaws open and closed in sheer rage.

Immediately, Sofia knew she was in over her head.  Despite holding a massive scimitar, she knew nothing of hand-to-hand combat.  The weapon was heavy and took too much muscle energy to swing.  And the blade was far from sharp; even bringing the weapon directly down onto Chạ̀wrāynạk’s snout hadn’t broken his skin.

She didn’t have a prayer.

So the young scholar backed up as quickly as she could, heading back into the ruined palace.  If she couldn’t outfight the creature, maybe she could hide from him.  Or squeeze into a space where he couldn’t follow.

*****

Despite the throbbing pain in his ears and nose, Chạ̀wrāynạk saw his prey retreat.

“ _You don’t esssscape…!_ ” he snarled, and then lunged forward.

*****

Sofia screamed as the massive jaws flew directly at her.  She simply thrust the blade straight forward.

It was the best maneuver she could have done.  Chạ̀wrāynạk stabbed his own mouth and reeled back, yowling.

Wasting no time, Sofia turned and ran at top speed.  It was dangerous to turn her back on the snake, but she had to get off the open ground and into the palace corridors as quickly as possible.

Gripping her sword, she sprinted faster.

*****

“ _Fuck me!_ ” the pilot swore again.

The helicopter lurched, dodging the tree by less than a yard.  Colonel Forrestal saw the heavier branches whiz under the rotors as the craft shot away into open sky.

The deck beneath him rolled.

Finally, the pilot leveled out.  “ _Jesus…!_ ” he panted into the onboard radio.  “ _Jesus…!_ ”

Captain Mick’s face was extremely pale.

Ignoring him, Forrestal craned his neck downward.

Sofia was gone.  He couldn’t tell what must have happened to her.

But the massive, black snake was racing into the palace.  The colonel grimly watched as the end of that two-hundred-foot tail vanished through the ruined gates.

*****

Sofia ran blindly, trying not to drag the sword on the stones beneath her.  She could hear Chạ̀wrāynạk some distance behind her, but coming up swiftly.

The archeologist leapt into a smaller side corridor, which was remarkably intact.  Once illuminated by torchlight, this hallway was now dark and narrow.  It curved to the side… but then caved in at the end.

Sofia was trapped.

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk hurried through the palace, hissing and cursing to himself.  His ears throbbed.

Worse, he couldn’t smell anything.  Nothing!  Had he been wounded by that sword?  This was a troubling thought.

Deeper inside the palace, the rooms and corridors were still standing.  It was darker here.  Sofia must have hidden somewhere in this maze?  He hesitated.

Long ago, Chạ̀wrāynạk had walked these very halls in his human form.  But the centuries had dimmed those memories.  The snake-lord had no idea where his prey might lie.

Sofia might be waiting for him in the next room with that sword, ready to draw blood.  Or worse, she might have traveled through the entire palace, and was already escaping through a collapsed wall on the far end.  There was no way to know.

Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed softly in anger.  If perhaps, he could lure Sofia to him…  he might be able to hypnotize her again.  One look into his eyes would doom her.

“ _Sssofia,_ ” the snake-lord called out.  “ _Your friendsss are ssstill my ssslaves…!  Ssshow yourssself!  Or I will kill them all..!_ ”

*****

Sofia was actually seven feet away, down the side corridor and pressed against a wall.  Shadows concealed her.  She could see the gigantic python’s head, hissing as it spoke.

The archeologist held her breath, not daring to budge.  Her heart thudded away, and she worried the snake would locate her by its mighty drumbeat alone.

Fuming, Chạ̀wrāynạk remained still, only his eyes flicking over the wide corridor before him.  As Sofia watched, the pupils began to chance colors.

 _He’s gonna try to mesmerize me again,_ she realized.  Looking into the snake’s glare would be an instant surrender.

Chạ̀wrāynạk made a disgusted snort, then began slithering deeper into the palace.  Sofia watched the long body roll by, kicking up dust and twigs as it brushed the stone floor.

Sofia could have dashed forward and plunged the sword deep into the thing’s great belly.  After all, Chạ̀wrāynạk’s head was distracted and growing more distant.  His attention was distracted.  She could strike.

But… no.  The sword was dull.  Sofia might be able to pierce that thick python skin, but then again, she might not.  And the moment she struck, Chạ̀wrāynạk would know exactly where she was.  And what if she did successfully stab him?  The great snake would writhe and buck in pain.  It was likely he would bring these tottering ruins down on top of them both.

 _I’m fighting with the wrong weapon,_ Sofia thought grimly, still watching the enormous tail parade by.

In moments of such despair, sometimes inspiration leads one to crazy ideas.

There was **_another_** weapon!  The other warhead.  Grace had said the bomb was destructive, but the blast radius was relatively small.  If Sofia activated it, set a five minute timer, then escaped on Colonel Forrestal’s chopper… she might destroy Chạ̀wrāynạk once and for all.

It was a terrible plan, she knew.

And yet, were there any better options?

Sofia gritted her teeth.  No, there weren’t.  She would set the bomb and then take her chances.  Getting blown up now was better than dying in Chạ̀wrāynạk’s jaws… or living as his brainwashed slave.

*****

Chaltan the mercenary commander gasped for breath.  His body lay broken upon the temple floor, his weapon tossed far out of his reach.  In the battle with the hideous pythons, he’d been flung against the hard stone, and immediately he knew his time was up.  There would be no escape from this mission.

The commander dimly watched his last man fumble with his machine gun, hoping to pop in another magazine before-

No.  Too late.  The she-python whirled around, struck, and bit the man in two.  There wasn’t even a scream.

The giant brown snake breathed heavily, looking about in rage.  Her eyes still blazed with an evil red glow.

Chaltan coughed quietly, feeling hot blood in this throat.

The serpent’s eyes whirled to see him.

*****

The snake-queen made short work of the last human soldier.  She had no idea who these mortals were, but they were pitiful opponents.  Their weapons made mere pinpricks on her mighty body, and they dissolved into shrieking children when she turned her fury on them.  How many centuries had she slumbered?  Humans had not become better combatants in all that time.

But her comfort was short-lived.  The snake-queen paused, realizing her own warrior, Chạ̀wrāynạk, was gone.  Why?  Where was he?

Horror flooded the female demigod.  For thousand of years, she’d feared the prophesy which foretold her own doom.  As a creature of ancient magic, she sensed that prophesy was about to be tested.  Her time had come.

Panic gripping her, the snake-queen turned from the temple and plunged into the deep jungle, heading toward Phechr Palace.

*****

“ _We gotta set down,_ ” Colonel Forrestal ordered his pilot.  They’d been circling the ruined palace for what felt like ages.  If Sofia was down there, she wasn’t coming out into the open.

“ _Yessir,_ ” the pilot said, not sounding thrilled.

Forrestal reached for a heavy machine gun.  Captain Mick reached for one, too.

*****

Sofia waited until Chạ̀wrāynạk had passed her completely, and even then waited for a moment.  Then she slipped back into the main corridor and headed back toward the throne room.

The second warhead was just where she had left it.  The young woman gently leaned the sword against the wall and knelt over the modern-day weapon.

The detonator fit easily in her hand.  The controls looked simple enough.  A timer, a key that Grace had already inserted, a few buttons, and a large, red button at the bottom.  With a bit of a churning feeling in her stomach, Sofia stabbed the controls.

Nothing happened.

She frowned, turning the little gizmo over in her hands.  There were no instructions… but then a military-issued nuclear bomb would hardly have a How-To glued on the back, would it?

Frustrated, Sofia glowered at the little machine.

Suddenly, the sword shifted against the wall.  It spun, then clattered noisily to the ground.  The noise was momentarily earsplitting.

*****

On the other side of the palace, Chạ̀wrāynạk paused.  A noise!  Metallic!

The snake-lord hissed, quickly doubling back.

*****

Sofia nearly dropped the detonator, swearing to herself.  Her heart was thudding repeatedly now.

Well, if Chạ̀wrāynạk didn’t know where she was, he did now.

In anger, the young woman nearly threw the detonator to the ground.  How could she have been so stupid?!?  How…

Wait.  She remembered.  When Grace remote-activated the first warhead, she’d turned the key.  Right?  Was that what Sofia had failed to do?

The archeology student quickly flipped the key a quarter-turn.

Instantly, the small display on the detonator flashed:  **_5:00 COUNTDOWN INITIATED_**.

The warhead began making a faint whirring sound.

Sofia knew absolutely nothing about nuclear weapons… but she was pretty certain this one was about to explode.

A rustling from deep within the palace disturbed her ear.  Chạ̀wrāynạk was approaching, fast!

“Fuck me,” Sofia mutter to herself, scooping up the sword again.  The corridor was too narrow to face the snake.  Abandoning the bomb, Sofia scrambled backwards, entering the throne room yet again.  She nearly crashed into one of the surviving columns.

Seconds later, the great python appeared.  His magic eyes flashed in rainbow colors.  Sofia nearly looked straight at him, only at the last second remembering not to glance into the ensnaring orbs.

The young woman held her sword before her in a threatening posture.  She stared at the floor, which allowed her to watch the great serpent’s belly as it approached.

“ _Well,_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk hissed, mockingly.  “ _You’ve led me quite the chassse, ssslave.  But we both know: you are no ssswordmaiden._ ”

“I’m deadlier than I look,” Sofia warned.  “You wanna take a chance, bitch?”

“ _I ssshould sssmasssh you to the ground,_ ” taunted the reptile.  “ _But I’ll enjoy killing you ssslowly…  Ssso ssslowly…_ ”

“No,” growled Sofia, “you won’t.”

Attacking the snake was suicide.  But another tactic had popped into Sofia’s brain.

She swung the sword, over her head in a great arch.  Once, twice, it whirled around.  The third time, she put all her strength into the blow…

…not against Chạ̀wrāynạk.  Against a column reaching up to the ruined ceiling.

The sword shattered on impact.  But the old pillar, which had withstood monsoons and the gnawing of time, had suffered long enough.  The sword struck a great crack in the column, quickly crumbling the masonry into dust.

The palace groaned as the old stonework gave way.

Chạ̀wrāynạk was caught by surprise.  As the old roof caved in and came crashing down on top of him, the warrior demigod howled in rage and defeat.  His body was pummeled by tons of stone, pinning him to the earth and smashing his great strength.  An archstone struck his head, and he knew no more.

But Sofia had anticipated the collapse.  The instant she felt the sword connect with the column, she’d turned and ran.  By inches, she’d outraced the falling debris.

She sped out into the open courtyard, feeling great clouds of dust rise up in a cloud and swirl about her body.  But she was free!

*****

For a moment, the earth seemed still.  Phechr Palace was silent once more.  The wind gently pushed through the jungle trees, unimpressed by the battle that had just taken place.

Sofia gasped for breath, willing her heart to slow.  She’d survived!  She lived!  Oh, she wanted to fall to the earth and kiss it for her luck.

Perhaps in awe of what she’d endured, Sofia turned and stared at the destroyed throne room.  There was no trace of Chạ̀wrāynạk, only piles of rubble.  As she watched, the dust was settling back down onto the old stones.

Wait.

Something silver glinted in the sun, right outside the smashed chamber.

The warhead!

Somehow, the nuclear device had survived.  It looked unharmed.

Sofia felt sick.  How much time was left on the timer?  Maybe… a minute?

Jesus, what to do?  Where was Colonel Forrestal and his helicopter?  In the excitement, Sofia had forgotten all about him.  The skies were clear.

Wait, **_there_** was the metal craft – squatting on the ground in the garden, not far from the jasmine bushes.  The rotors were slowing, almost visible now.  Forrestal had landed!

“Fuck!” Sofia screamed.  So much for hopping into the chopper for a quick getaway.  Now she, Forrestal, and the anyone else in the helicopter were most likely doomed.

Unless…  Unless Forrestal knew of some supersecret military code or something that could disarm the device.

It was a desperate hope, but it was all she had.

Sofia rushed back to the palace, scooping up the little warhead in her arms.  The thing was warm, and vibrating with a threatening purpose.  Trying not to think about how badly she was tempting fate, the young woman spun on her heels and dashed toward the helicopter.

*****

Something was undeniably wrong.  The snake-queen entered the ruined gardens, immediately sensing that Chạ̀wrāynạk was absent.  Had he been killed?  Frightened off?  Wounded?  She didn’t know, but the queen feared the answer.

There was a human sprinting across the garden.  The snake-queen hissed – this was that slave Chạ̀wrāynạk mentioned!  The scholar!

Her warrior was gone.  The battle had been lost.  The prophesy stated that the snake-queen’s death was neigh.  All was forfeit.

In rage, the queen hurled herself at the running human.  **_No, the prophesy was wrong!_**   She’d kill the scholar herself.

*****

Sofia saw the second giant snake racing at her at top speed.

Panic and instinct took control.

Without thought, Sofia hurled the only thing she could: the micro warhead.

The small canister sailed through the air…

The snake-queen, concentrating on her strike, opened her jaws…

The warhead fell directly into her maw!

Surprised, the queen balked and instinctively swallowed.

Sofia dove to the ground, covering her head in her hands.

The snake-queen rose up, her eyes bulging…

…and then…

…the warhead **_EXPLODED_**.

The queen’s body was powerful and nearly invincible.  But not completely.  As the nuclear fire erupted within her, she withed and screeched in unholy agony.  There was a great wail that shook the earth and heavens…

…and then the queen was gone, consumed in a flash by the hellish inferno within her own belly.

*****


	7. Epilogue:  I Always Wanted to Escape This Place

Sofia felt the hot burst of air on her skin, and then the gentle tickle of ash, falling all about her.  The air was nearly silent.

With amazement, the young woman realized… she was alive!  Alive!  Sofia let out a shaking breath.  Then she permitted a grin from ear to ear.  She’d never been so happy to feel air in her lungs.

As she climbed onto her weary feet, Sofia noted motion inside the jasmine bushes, just before her.  The blooms swayed, disturbed by something concealed within.

The young archeologist peered, half-afraid that another giant snake might leap forth.

But the motion was coming from the statue of the screaming young woman!  As Sofia stared, the surface of the gray figure cracked, thousands of tiny black fractures spreading in all directions.  Suddenly, the arms and fingers of the statue began to move!

And then, the stone crumbled to a pasty dust, falling away.  Beneath…

Beneath was a beautiful young woman, identical to the original statue.  Except this girl was living flesh and blood.

The young woman made a sharp cry, quickly cut short.  She stopped, looking around in wonder.

“Oh my God,” Sofia murmured to herself.  This young woman…

She could only be… the Princess Anong.

On this journey, Sofia had seen enough to realize that there truly is magic in this world, old and powerful forces which are completely unknown by the modern world.  Yet talking snakes, mind control spells, and subterranean mazes seemed dull in comparison to seeing this beautiful woman emerge from the jasmine.

The princess looked over her own body quickly, then turned to stare in disbelief at the destroyed home of her father.

 _Jeez,_ Sofia thought.  _This poor chick is all alone in the world._

But the archeologist could relate to that.

So Sofia approached, taking care to smile in a friendly way.

The princess’s eyes popped.  “Who are you?” she exclaimed, in perfect ancient Lanamari.

“I… am Sofia,” the other replied carefully.  While she read the old language fluently, it was extremely rare that she had to speak it.  “You are… safe… now.”

Anong made a quizzical expression, looking at Sofia’s nudity.  “You do not wear a dress?”

“It is… long… tale,” Sofia explained lamely.  And blushing a little.

The princess nodded, then looked about, returning to stare at the ruins of Phechr Palace.  “It is gone,” she said in amazement.  “All gone…!”

“Er, yes,” Sofia replied.

Anong broke out into a sad smile.  “Good,” she pronounced.  “I always wanted to escape this place.  The world is better without it.”  She looked at Sofia squarely.  “Perhaps you can show me where you come from?”

Sofia blinked in appreciative surprise.  “Yes,” she said, delighted.  “Yes, I’d… love that.”

Before she could say anything else, Colonel Forrestal rushed up, clutching his machine gun.

“Colonel!” Sofia shouted, in English.  “Jeez, stand down!  We’re okay here!”

“Sofia!” exclaimed the colonel, relieved.  “That big snake…”

“Dead,” Sofia said quickly.  She pointed to the collapsed throne room.

The colonel nodded, impressed.  He relaxed.  “Wow,” he muttered.  “You must put up one hell of a fight.”

Sofia grinned and shrugged.

“Er,” Forrestal mumbled, staring openly at Sofia’s nude body, “you maybe want to get a jacket or something from the helicopter…?”

That sounded lovely.  “Colonel, this is the Princess Anong,” Sofia said, taking Anong’s hand.  “Think we can give her a lift to the twenty-first century?”

“Sure,” replied the colonel, although he obviously didn’t understand.  “But… Grace, Sergeant Hicks, the others… where are they?”

“They’re in a temple, about half a mile that way,” Sofia grinned.  “Com’on, let’s get airborne, and I’ll show you the way.”

*****

Chạ̀wrāynạk wheezed, dust filling his mighty lungs.  The rock crushing his body was punishing… but he still lived.  The snake-lord lived.

Drawing on the last of his strength, the great python lifted his head, shoving a column stone off to the side.  There.  Now he could see daylight.  Now he could breathe.

Ignoring the pain, Chạ̀wrāynạk pushed himself forward barely a foot or two.  He squinted, looking about.  What had happened?

Far across the gardens of Phechr, he could see Sofia, a strange man, and a third person climbing into that wretched air-chariot which had deafened him.  The machine began to make that horrible throbbing sound again, no doubt preparing to rise back into the sky.

Wait…  Chạ̀wrāynạk peered harder.  Was that…

His heart leapt!  Anong!  **_Princess Anong!_**   Sitting next to Sofia within the machine was undoubtably Princess Anong, as young and beautiful as ever.  The princess was brushing a long strand of black hair from her eyes, looking out over Phechr Palace for the last time.

 ** _Of course._**   The snake-queen was dead; all of her magic undone.  **_Of course_** Anong had been released from her clutches.

Chạ̀wrāynạk felt a desperate longing.  “ _Anong…!_ ” he cried out in the weakest of voices.

The sky-machine made even more noise, and began lifting into the air.

“ _Anong…!_ ” Chạ̀wrāynạk cried again.  He thrashed as hard as he could against the stones which pinned him.  But the weight was too much.

The humans’ chariot rose higher, circled once, then flew off over the jungle.  Chạ̀wrāynạk stared in horrified dismay as it vanished into the hazy sky.

And then the snake-lord screamed, screamed like a banshee in his defeat and shame.  Anong was lost, truly lost forever!  All those centuries of patient scheming, all for naught!  How could that be possible?!?

Deep in his soulless core, Chạ̀wrāynạk seethed.  **_He would have revenge._**   His every waking moment would be dedicated to hunting down and ensuring that the lowly mortals who had taken everything from him would **_suffer_**.  Suffer like the miserable worms they were.

No matter the challenges, Chạ̀wrāynạk swore:   ** _He would have revenge._**

*****


End file.
